- This is a crucial time to support Lelu Island in every way we can! On January 23rd, 2016, the nine allied tribes of Lax Kw'alaams signed the Lelu Island Declaration calling for protection of Lelu Island and Flora and Agnew Banks from corporate resource extraction for all time. The Declaration, also signed by Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, MLAs Jennifer Rice, Doug Donaldson, and Robin Austin, and MP Nathan Cullen, came about in response to continued attempts by Petronas and its North American branch, Pacific Northwest LNG, to begin work on a liquified fracked gas facility at Lelu.

- The federal government released its Draft Environmental Assessment for the project on Feb.11 - in spite of its lack of authority on traditional, unceded indigenous territory. On March 11th, the 30-day comment period for the assessment will end, and the Government will release its final decision on the project by March 22. The company has said they are ready to begin construction immediately. 

- In May 2015, the Lax Kw'allams people voted 100% NO to the LNG project, despite being offered $1.4 Billion from Petronas. Lax Kw'allams hereditary leaders have been occupying their territory since August to turn away contractors pushing the rejected project forward. 

"Our Traditional ways of life and the resources which have sustained our people are not to be pawns in the Christie Clark Government's LNG dreams. Development within our Traditional territories must have our Free, Prior and Informed consent. The people of Lax'walams spoke very clearly in their rejection of the 1.25 billion dollar offer from Petronas, and this camp builds upon that rejection. This issue is not just a First Nations issue but one that will affect all British Columbians, especially those who rely upon healthy and abundant Fish stocks, of a variety of species at the mouth of the Skeena River."

                        - Lax Kw'alaams Hereditary Chief Yahaan (Donald Wesley) 

"Construction crews on the Site C dam failed to adequately control sediment and runoff into the Peace River, potentially hurting fish populations, Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) investigators have found." See more at The Alaska Highway News

Prince Rupert Port authority demands Lelu Island Camp be dismantled. Although its 'authority' is questionable. See full story at The Northern Review

Join supporters / hunger strike / tent city against Site C 

outside BC Hydro offices downtown Vancouver.

Lelu Island / Flora Bank video

Click here for a great interactive map of sites of indigenous resistance to industry and development.

Photo by Christy Jordan-Fenton

The Rocky Mtn Fort began to be dismantled after BC Hydro's injunction was upheld by Mr. Justice Butler at the Vancouver courthouse Monday, Feb 29. Betsy Trumpener capture the sadness at the setback here. Since then a hunger strike outside the BC Hydro office in Vancouver has begun 

and David Suzuki has written a letter expressing his disappointment:

Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2016 11:43 AM

To: Jessica MacDonald

Subject: Letter from David Suzuki

Dear Jessica,

I’m deeply disappointed with BC Hydro's heavy-handed tactics in dealing with Treaty 8 community members and their supporters, who had been camped at the historical Rocky Mountain Fort in the Peace Valley for weeks. I'm told efforts had been made to broker a discussion between people at the camp and you before Hydro sought a court injunction to remove them.

Throughout the regulatory process and consultation with affected First Nations, BC Hydro has never been able to make the case that power from the Site C dam is needed or that the project is worth the enormous cost to Indigenous lands and livelihoods, not to mention prime farmland and wildlife habitat.

Peer-reviewed research by the David Suzuki Foundation found that nearly two-thirds of the Peace region has already been devastated by human land use, from fracking to logging to mining, as well as earlier major hydro developments on the Peace River. The Joint Review Panel concluded that the cumulative impacts of this development are massive, and the negative consequences for First Nations and their treaty rights cannot be mitigated.

With Treaty 8 First Nations still in court, these issues remain unresolved. And yet BC Hydro has chosen to steamroll forward, in the absence of proper due diligence and without social license to proceed. Expert after expert has concluded that halting development on the dam to allow these court cases to conclude will not come at a cost to BC Hydro but will in fact save money for Hydro's customers.

I urge you to use common sense and halt work on the Site C dam and sit down with First Nations. The days of running roughshod over First Nations and local communities must end.

Yours sincerely,

David Suzuki

Also, this protest will take place March 13.