No quick fix on the road to working with First peoples on energy extraction

DOUG EYFORD, A VANCOUVER LAWYER,
treaty negotiator, and the Prime Minister’s envoy to develop energy corridors across British Columbia with First Nations onside said he’s lost time with the stage set for “confrontation and resistance” not agreement. He said there is no quick fix or shortcut on the road to working with First peoples on energy extraction. Eyford spoke to a summit on liquefied natural gas in Vancouver in September, discussing the challenges of energy and First Nations, including the complications of shared territory (overlaps) and the history of litigation in the province. Eyford said there is a need for deep consultation. “First Nations communities are expected to become experts in energy policy and make decisions that may permanently alter their cultural connection to their traditional territories,” Eyford said. “These projects are profoundly challenging for Aboriginal leaders, and confrontation and resistance are the likely outcomes if their communities are not effectively engaged during the planning and development stages.”  B.C. is teetering on the edge of an energy boom, with the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline and liquefied natural gas plants on the horizon.