S TANDARD TERRACE
1.30
$
$1.24 PLUS 6¢ GST
VOL. 27 NO. 33
www.terracestandard.com
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Pipeline deals remain unsettled By JOSH MASSEY SEVENTEEN FIRST Nations spread over nearly 1,000 kilometres across northern B.C. are struggling to divide as much as $30 million in annual payments from the provincial government should three pipelines carrying natural gas from the
northeast to liquefied natural gas plants on the coast ever be built. An original deadline of June 30 has now been extended to Dec. 31 as the First Nations consider a series of detailed options over how much each First Nation should receive. Each of the proposed
pipelines – Coastal GasLink to Kitimat for the planned LNG Canada liquefied natural gas plant, Prince Rupert Gas Transmission to the Prince Rupert area for the planned Pacific NorthWest LNG plant and the Westcoast Connector to another planned LNG plant at Prince Rupert – would provide af-
fected First Nations with $10 million a year in provincial payments. The province originally said it would step in and make decisions on how to divide the money should the First Nations not reach agreements for each pipeline route by June 30 but is now giving them more time
to come up with their own formula. All three gas pipelines would pass through Kitselas traditional territory and Kitselas First Nation chief councillor Joe Bevan calls the negotiations exceedingly difficult. Time frames are short with complications based
on the number of kilometres each pipeline would stretch through each First Nation’s territory while some question whether they want pipelines constructed at all and some neighbouring First Nations have overlapping territorial claims.
Cont’d Page A17
City inks deal with Chinese By MARGARET SPEIRS THE CITY of Terrace’s plans for industrial development broadened Nov. 30 when it signed what’s called a “friendly exchange agreement” with representatives from Qinhuangdao, China. Seven Qinghuangdao representatives plus a photographer arrived at the airport in the morning and were greeted by Terrace mayor Carol Leclerc and all six city councillors followed by a quick look at the large acreage at the Skeena Industrial Development Park purchased by an economic development entity within Qinghuangdao. The group then went to city hall to sign the agreement where officials, through a translator, made speeches. “It’s a good time for the northwest and Terrace for new partnerships,” said Leclerc to Feng Zhiyong, vice-mayor of Qinhuangdao Municipal Government, at city hall. “We are very happy to share this day together and look forward to signing this agreement.” Also at the ceremony were Kitselas chief councillor Joe Bevan and Sharon Bryant representing the Kitsumkalum First Nation. A video showcasing Terrace and area with a voice speaking in Mandarin and captions in Mandarin was shown followed by a video about Qinhuangdao in English. The video about Qinhuangdao, a port city of nearly 3 million people within a regional government in Hebei province, said the sea has often served as a source of inspiration for the leaders of China.
Cont’d Page A8
MARGARET SPIERS PHOTO
■■ They’ve got your back TERRACE RCMP Const. Jennifer Lepage from the Integrated Road Safety Unit is one of the officers on the road looking out for motorists driving drunk on area highways. Police officially began their Christmas patrolling Dec. 4 and the next day were handing out red ribbons as part of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Project Red Ribbon at the provincial government’s liquor store. The red ribbon is a tribute to those killed and injured in impairment-related crashes each year.
Bye Bye Birdie
Excluded
Spiking success
Caledonia’s annual musical offering begins its run tomorrow. \COMMUNITY A10
Being left out of transportation symposium upsets Nisga’a. \NEWS A13
Centennial Christian senior boys win gold at Abbotsford provincials \SPORTS A27