On this national Truth and Reconciliation Day, the federal government is facing a significant challenge in its relations with two British Columbia First Nations. The Metlakatla and Lax Kw’alaams First Nations, collectively known as the Coast Tsimshian, are threatening to take further action regarding the development of the Prince Rupert Trade Corridor. This dispute centers on allegations that the government failed to obtain informed consent from Indigenous communities for a major export facility, a situation that has persisted for two years without resolution.

Chief Robert Nelson of the Metlakatla First Nation expressed frustration in a letter to Christiane Fox, deputy clerk of the Privy Council. He stated that the Coast Tsimshian are prepared to take “additional action” to protect their rights, which could include legal measures and withholding consent for projects on their traditional territory. Nelson emphasized that without government intervention, the Coast Tsimshian would transition from development partners to adversaries.

“We cannot consent to the development of the Prince Rupert Trade corridor while our rights are being infringed,” Nelson said. The Coast Tsimshian leaders met with senior officials in Ottawa in August but have since received no response regarding their concerns about a regulatory dispute affecting their ability to develop a liquefied petroleum gas export facility on their lands.

The backdrop of this conflict involves the Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA), which is advancing a $1.35 billion liquefied petroleum gas project known as the Ridley Island Energy Export Facility (REEF). This project, expected to be completed next year, is a partnership between Royal Vopak of the Netherlands and Calgary-based AltaGas. It is projected to generate nearly $6 billion annually from exports to markets in South Korea and Japan, as Canada increases its liquefied natural gas production.

The Coast Tsimshian have raised concerns about a monopoly export deal that the PRPA allegedly agreed to when Vopak proposed the REEF project in 2015. They claim they were not informed of this exclusivity agreement when they signed mutual benefit agreements with the project’s proponents. The Coast Tsimshian assert that had they known about the exclusivity deal, they would not have approved the REEF project, which they believe undermines their own commercial interests.

Currently, the case is before the B.C. Supreme Court, where the PRPA has filed a motion to dismiss. A decision has yet to be made. The PRPA's defense hinges on its ability to demonstrate that it disclosed the exclusivity agreement to the Coast Tsimshian, but no evidence has been presented in court or to the media to support this claim. The situation remains tense as the Coast Tsimshian seek to assert their rights and interests in the face of ongoing development in their traditional territory.