Friends of Wild Salmon Pipeline and Tanker Blog

JRP Final Technical Hearing Summary: Edmonton, Day 9

Brenda Gaertner continued this morning for the Coastal First Nations, examining the cost benefit analysis in the Wright Mansell public interest benefit report. Her topics included the Canadian price uplift, environmental impacts, and costs of a significant oil spill.

Stats Canada reported in 2010 that 47% of the Canadian oil and gas industry is controlled by foreign corporations. Ms. Gaertner questioned the actual benefit to Canadians when 47% of the $17 billion shown as a benefit to private interests is going out of the country.

Guujaaw took the podium, representing the Council of Haida Nation. He declared at the outset that he has learned that “corporations love their families and generally are good people. … But I think it's been a long time since all of us realized that it's nice guys that are also destroying this world.”

He expressed concern about the domestic effects of the price uplift, describing as an example what happens to the availability and price of crabs in Vancouver, when Asian demand escalates. “Why would a crab fisherman send crabs to Granville Island when they’ll get more overseas?”

Guujaaw had a question for Roland Priddle. “Mr. Priddle, I was kind of surprised to see you sitting over there -- with your raging endorsement and statement in your presentation that said this is in the national interest. Is that your opinion?” Mr. Priddle replied that it was his opinion.

John Carruthers of Northern Gateway said that 60 percent of Aboriginal communities had signed up for equity in the project, but they had not provided a list of First Nations.

Guujaaw’s response was “You're making a pretty big claim there -- without anything to substantiate it and we've asked you for a long time to tell us who is agreeing with this.”

On the risk of spills, Guujaaw stated, “The safest way to make sure there's not an oil spill, is not to have tankers out there.”

Guujaaw finished with “There's no spill that’s ever been cleaned up yet. You really can't clean them up at all.”

Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson brought the day to an end. Following discovery that NGP had ignored all the Haida traditional use evidence in their economic work, she said, “We have on one hand a monetary world view and a world view that appreciates the value of species to culture and the spiritual connections that those species provide.”

For a more detailed summary, please see the following document: