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Prince George, B.C. – It was all smiles at the offices of TransCanada Corp. in Prince George today.

This as the company commemorated the signing of a project agreement with the Nadleh Whut’en First Nation (located west of Prince George) regarding their Coastal GasLink Pipeline project.

“This is the culmination of relationship building for the last three and a half years,” said Coastal GasLink president Rick Gateman. “And by putting this agreement together we are really cementing that relationship for decades into the future.”

Once the pipeline is built, he said it will provide job opportunities for First Nations and other community members so that the community “can share in the upside of this project.”

“To me, it’s the recognition of our existence on the land,” added Nadleh Whut’en First Nation Chief Martin Louie. “Recognizing that we do hold title and rights on the land. It’s not written in stone but they have to come to us for an agreement.”

Coastal GasLink now has approvals from 11 First Nations communities along the length of the proposed pipeline.

Gateman noted the pipeline is fully dependent upon a final investment decision for the LNG facility to be built in Kitimat by the LNG Canada partners.

“We hope to be starting construction in 2017 if that decision is made this year.”