Northwest First Nations leadership have met with other members of the Highway 37 Powerline Coalition to talk about the potential for organizing equity participation and environmental design leadership in the 517 km transmission project from Terrace to Dease Lake. That is further than the existing plans for the line which would only take it to Bob Quinn Lake.

Industry executives involved in proposed mining and clean energy projects attended to support the discussions by First Nations Leadership.

Powerline Coalition Co-chair Elmer Derrick, Gitxsan Hereditary Chief, said "We have an opportunity to provide First Nations leadership to this project and demonstrate our high standards of environmental design and monitoring joining together and supported by the 40 communities of the Northern Development Initiative Trust and industry, to create jobs for our communities and provide our youth with a sense of hope and clarity for the future. On behalf of the coalition I have met with Tlingit, Tahltan, Haida and community leadership in southeast Alaska and they are all supporting our success because of their interests in power generation and seeing transmission infrastructure develop in Northwest BC."

Annita McPhee, leader of the Tahltan Nation, was optimistic that an agreed upon assessment and consultation process with the Province and BC Hydro will provide the Tahltan with the resources to make an informed decision about the possible benefits from the project as well as the impacts on Tahltan Title and Rights.

Gitanyow Chief Glen Williams, a founding member of the coalition who attended the meeting, was confident that the First Nations could ensure that the integrity of wildlife and salmon habitat along a transmission line corridor was a priority in the realization of economic benefits and jobs for the region.

The transmission line is seen as an opportunity for northern leadership in the economy and environment. The project has the potential to attract 2,000 megawatts of green power generation, $15 billion in investments and create 11,000 jobs. The group lauded the provincial commitment of $250 million towards the construction of a Northwest Transmission Line, and will be meeting with potential federal and private infrastructure funding partners in the near future.

 

The Province has indicated while it will proceed with the environmental and public consultation work, this does not mean it is committed to actually building the line. That will only happen when private investors step forward to share the construction costs.