First Nations Benefit From Rio Tinto Alcan Modernization Project

In northwestern BC, economic benefits for first nations and those who live in the Kitimat-Terrace region are crucial, Ellis Ross, chief councillor of the Haisla Nation in northwestern BC, writes in the Kitimat’s Northern Sentinel. Rio Tinto Alcan is investing $300-million as part of a $2.5-billion modernization of the Kitimat smelter and the Haisla are part of a joint venture with LNG Partners in a $3-billion LNG (liquefied natural gas) facility before the National Energy Board.

“It is plain for anyone to see . . . that the Haisla are open to economic development if the conditions are right,” he says. The Haisla oppose projects that would wipe out the natural resources or exclude Haila people, he writes. But they welcome jobs, investment and business opportunities.

via From pipelines to mines, energy projects raise questions across B.C. - The Globe and Mail.