Canada’s fast-track review of the proposed West Coast Oil Pipeline, now known as Pacific Link, faces eight legal challenges from nine British Columbia First Nations over consultation, The Canadian Press reported.
The federal government added the project to its national-interest list on Oct. 1. Tsartlip First Nation asks the court to affirm that Canada must consult it meaningfully before deciding whether the project serves the national interest. Tsartlip spokesman Adam Olsen said, “The process was rushed,” and described local fishing areas as important to the Nation.
The St’át’imc Chiefs Council is also seeking to overturn the listing, The Canadian Press reported. It cited potential effects on salmon and fishing rights, as well as insufficient consultation.
The federal order says consultation ran from July 3 to Sept. 18. It records that the government consulted more than 130 potentially affected Indigenous communities and held over 140 meetings with representatives of more than 110 communities and organizations. The Major Projects Office (MPO) received more than 100 written submissions from consulted Indigenous communities.
The order says some communities wanted clearer information about route and design options, possible environmental effects on land and sea, emergency response and impacts on Aboriginal and treaty rights. The government concluded the consultation was meaningful. It said potential marine and terrestrial environmental impacts would be further assessed and addressed through regulatory review and ongoing Indigenous consultation.
Under the Building Canada Act, listing places a project in a single federal review, with approvals subject to conditions. Government guidance says the final conditions document will serve as a Canada Energy Regulator (CER) certificate and incorporate permits that would ordinarily be handled separately.
The order describes a pipeline with capacity of about 1 million barrels daily, connecting Bruderheim in Alberta with a deepwater port near Delta, British Columbia. The Oct. 1 federal announcement said Canada and Alberta would share ownership and offer Indigenous communities at least a 10% stake through loan-guarantee programs. The government said the project would expand access to overseas markets.
The MPO, supported by the CER, aims to complete the conditions document by Sept. 1, 2027, the government said.
