The Tsleil-Waututh Nation has filed a court challenge against the Port of Vancouver’s plan to dredge the Burrard Inlet.
The dredging work near the Second Narrows Bridge would allow oil tankers travelling to Trans Mountain’s Burnaby terminal to carry more oil.
They currently risk hitting the bottom if they load too much product.
In its judicial review, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation argues the port’s decision to issue its permit was based on an “unreasonable determination” that the work wouldn’t have significant environmental impacts.
The nation also alleges Ottawa did not fulfill its duty to consult it before the permit was issued.
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The Nation said in a statement that dredging to accommodate larger tankers brings with it changes in marine shipping patterns, oil spill risk and shoreline erosion, all of which would add to the already damaging existing cumulative impacts.
“Tsleil-Waututh has a sacred stewardship obligation, a responsibility to care for our lands, air and waters,” Chief Justin George says in the statement.
“While we attempted to resolve these outstanding issues in good faith, our concerns were ignored, leaving us no choice but to go to court to protect our territory and interests.”
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Global News has reached out to the Port of Vancouver for comment.
In a statement to Global News, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada said it is not a party to these proceedings.
-with files from The Canadian Press
ANYONE ELSE SICK AND TIRED OF THESE F/ G NAT IVES TRYING TO RUN OUR LIVE ? HOW AND WHAT DO THESE PEOPLES CONTRIBUTE TO OUR SOCIETY ? ALL I SEE IS TAKE TAKE TAKE
Just tell the natives we need the pipeline revenue to fund another 100 years of this nonsense, otherwise, the country will go broke and no more free education, housing, land, etc. for them
the endless complaining never ends, reminds me of quebec
I think it’s fair to say that a continually growing number of us are no longer sympathetic towards the First Nations.
Quite frankly the situation has gotten completely out of hand and turned into a farce IMO.
I am not against reconciliation if there is equity for all with it but here is one questions.
What do the non First Nations Canadians get in return for all these lopsided First Nation agreements?
Glad someone is thinking about the environmental impact
Nothing a bag of shiny beads and an old Blunderbuss or two can’t cover
Show them money , they’ll bend and spread wide
Stick to wood carving, leave the thinking to us
Big surprise. How much$$$$?
Unless my taxes become zero, as another group, I have the same rights as everyone else in this country.
Perhaps the government should start asking for my family’s consent!
Just come right out and tell us how big the cheque needs to be.
reconciliation overload, sick and tired of the bloody complaining
White Lives Don’t Matter
Well Janet I’m not sure if you’ve noticed buy white people are slowly getting their genocidal history erased in Canada while First Nations culture is being celebrated in new and different ways every year
And there you have it. JV our local FN telling us “”like it is”” with the BC AFN. There is no good faith here, No best interests for all.
Just a minority group wanting land, power and money which is basically to be taken from the taxpayers.
Thanks JV for owning up!
BTW blockade all you want. It worked
wonders for the improvement of public sentiment and support for the climate movement crowd. Not 😂!!
A vote is a vote. It’s the will of the people. Recent polls have 55% of BC’ers against DRIPA. 70% think DRIPA is unecessary for T&R, 98% of business thinks it’s bad for business, 90% of BC MLAs, NDP and Conservative, would have voted to repeal, amend or suspend DRIPA.
It time folks. Enough is enough. Let’s just vote.
Last post of day folks. Anything else will be JV as usual.
Well Doug B. What you first stated below is exactly what the FN want and deserve. This is our general consensus too. After decades of mistreatment and neglect we want our land back, we want everyone to pay rent and we want to be in ownership positions in all ventures. If you don’t like it leave. We have an every right to this! If DRIPA is repealed we being the this province to stand still thru blockades and protest. There is no going back for us.
Well Janet it’s because… ahh well who cares. Their history is being erased anyways
Seriously why are old white people so stupid?
Well you see BC Prosper that’s kind of what us Conservative supporters do. We go on and on pretending like we know everything but then we easily get taken advantage of by politicians and big corporations
But of course the sad part is the Conservative supporters in BC are too stupid to realize that the billionaire oil & gas companies (Mostly American) are going to make huge profits from the destruction of our local environment on the west coast while the people who actually live here will get nothing in return. The TMX pipeline was nothing but a financial disaster and our gas prices are currently going through the roof in BC. But of course all the proof in the world won’t convince a Conservative supporter. You can’t fix stupid
Try & Doug,
Nice to read 2 well stated comments filled with ideals and facts. Now if we only could implement them which has been, and will be the hardest part of all.
“Tsleil-Waututh has a sacred stewardship obligation, a responsibility to care for our lands, air and waters,”
I couldn’t have said it better myself!
First Nations Lives Matter
Feds own the waterways. We have all had enough of this so called consent nonsense. It is not consent. These talks have turned in compensation negotiations where consent is deliberately withheld until the FNs extort some money of out it. It’s basically holding our province’s and country’s economy hostage for ransom.
Look I want an end to some form of T&R and fully self financially independent FN society would be nice but I do want the getting there and a final result that is balanced, equal and fair to everyone else in the country.
One unelected minority group should not have separate and special privileges, rights and veto power over and above what the average person or our elected bodies have. This dredging consent is a clear example of self Interest overreach.
DRIPA is now a very clear example abuse of power and needs to be repealed.
What is voted in can be voted out. So let’s bring it to a vote.
The natives do not want to have tanker traffic into Prince Rupert. Then they are against tanker traffic into Vancouver. They cannot have it both ways. They signed treaties (or not yet) so they get treaty rights. One of the trade offs is they gave up their rights to the country, and agreed not to fight progress. – if they continue to disrupt progress, maybe we should withhold all moneys and rights we give them. Make them pay for education, policing, health care, economic development support, Liberal kickbacks, industry kickbacks. They need to reconcile to the fact that they are Canadians, and have no more right to protest than the rest of us.
Global needs to start reporting it that way. A small group of disgruntled, entitled whiners are at it again…