[IPSM] There's plenty of opposition to the pipeline

[Macdonald Stainsby]

1) There's plenty of opposition to the pipeline
NewsNorth Letter to the Editor - Monday, September 4, 2006
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In your Aug. 21st editorial, you wrote that "almost everyone wants to see
the pipeline go ahead." It is an odd assumption for a newspaper that has
printed in past comments by readers opposed to the pipeline.

On Aug. 17, when Stephen Harper came in Yellowknife to promise us he will do
anything legally possible to turn the North into the next Alberta, he was
welcomed at the Legislative Assembly by a forty-people strong crowd
protesting the Prime Minister's uncompromised pro-pipeline stance.

In keeping with the spirit of the Conservative leader who did not bother to
address the protesters, your newspaper did not mention the peaceful
demonstration. A story later appeared in the local Yellowknifer but there
was no territorial coverage.

The next morning, the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project (JRP)
held hearings at the Explorer Hotel of Yellowknife. A total of 21 citizens,
who had to register a month in advance to get a chance to speak at the
public consultation, addressed the Panel. Just like at the last National
Energy Board (NEB) hearings in Yellowknife, none of the presenters spoke in
favour of the project.

To tell the truth, since their beginning, the Northwest Territories' only
English language territorial newspaper has not been very prone to chronicle
the hearings, which are now entering their ninth month of direct democracy
exercise. Too bad. Otherwise, your readers could have been informed that the
vast majority of Northerners who have addressed the JRP and NEB so far did
not speak in favour of the pipeline.

Further, imitating misinformed southern media, your newspaper has often
repeated that the Dehcho First Nations form the "last remaining aboriginal
holdout" to the project.

A grassroots northern news organization like yours should be well aware
that, in fact, there are other aboriginal groups still not backing the
pipeline deal. The Kasho Go'tine of northern Sahtu have yet to conclude a
land-access agreement with the project's proponents and have clearly stated
during the hearings process that they would not grant the right of way
without direct taxation powers on the gas profits.

In Northern Alberta, the Dene Tha are opposing the pipeline. They are even
taking the federal government and Imperial Oil to court.

The often forgotten First Nations group feel they are also part of the
proposed Mackenzie Gas Project since, in order to link the MGP to the
existing Alberta pipeline network, a 103 kilometres gas pipeline will have
to be built on their traditional land. This is not a mere allegation - the
information has been confirmed several times by the MGP proponents at the
pipeline hearings.

All in all, three of the six aboriginal groups on the pipeline route could
be referred as "holdouts." Yet, News/North seems to ignore the existing
Northern opposition to the Mackenzie Gas Project and go on trumpeting that
"almost everyone" is waiting for the pipe-dream to materialize.

Nobody questions that this megaproject, the most expensive energy venture in
Canada's history, will trigger immense consequences for the NWT society.
Some of these consequences will benefit Northerners, some will adversely
affect them for decades to come. This issue might well be the farthest
reaching challenge the NWT residents have had to deal with since the last
pipeline inquiry. I would expect News/North to grant its readership with
fair and balanced pipeline coverage, so that Northerners may take
well-informed decisions for their future and the future of generations to
come.

Batiste Foisy
Yellowknife


-- 
Macdonald Stainsby
http://independentmedia.ca/survivingcanada
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
In the contradiction lies the hope
    --Bertholt Brecht.