First Nation tells court it should have been consulted after artifacts found

HOUSTON, B.C. – Members of a northern British Columbia First Nation are arguing in court that they should have been consulted on an archaeological mitigation plan prepared by a natural gas company on their traditional territory.

The Unist’ot’en house group of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation and hereditary chief Knedebeas filed an application for judicial review in B.C. Supreme Court on Tuesday.

It challenges the decision of the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission and provincial Archaeology Branch to accept a mitigation plan prepared by Coastal GasLink that the First Nation members say did not involve
consultation.

The plan followed the discovery of stone tools on Feb. 13 at a construction site for the company’s planned pipeline, which would transport natural gas from northeastern B.C. to Kitimat on the coast as part of the $40-billion LNG Canada project.

Work was temporarily suspended while the commission investigated, and it announced on March 8 that archaeologists had found four stone artifacts that were likely not in their original location.

Coastal GasLink says in a statement that it is limited in commenting because the matter is before the courts, but says it has a valid environmental assessment certificate and permit from the commission.

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