Hearings into Northern Gateway wrap today

TERRACE, B.C. – Aboriginal and environmental activists accuse the federal government of trying to slip in evidence about the safety of the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline on the last day of public hearings, even though the panel has already rejected the evidence.

Rosanne Kyle, who represents the Gitxaala (Git-GATH-la) First Nation, noted that a lawyer representing the Department of Justice referred to a government news release last March that detailed new measures to protect the coast with a “world class” tanker system.

Kyle told the panel that the government claims around the tanker program weren’t supported by evidence and she urged panel members to give no weight to testimony based on news releases.

She further noted that the president of Northern Gateway, John Carruthers, has previously testified the company can’t attest to the accuracy of the information, prompting the panel to rule it inadmissible.

Cheryl Brown of the environmental group Douglas Channel Watch, told the panel the federal government has not released any details of its safety plans and has not had any passed by Parliament, so the claims can only be considered rhetoric.

The Joint Review Panel is wrapping up hearings into the proposed project that began in January.