Coastal GasLink provided an update on the construction of the 670-kilometer pipeline project and the on-going dispute between the company and the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs.
According to CGL President, David Pfeiffer is looking forward to a peaceful resolution.
In a press conference, Pfeiffer said CGL is on a schedule and it has not been significantly impacted since the blockade was put by the 27-kilometre mark of Morice West Forest Service Road earlier this month.
According to Pfeiffer, construction that was supposed to be occurring during the winter months was to remove camp 9A to provide a larger camp for more people.
Pfeiffer said time is running short but there is no specific date where CGL will lose the flexibility to get back on schedule.
“We need to do certain things and in this case, we need to install the larger camps in preparation for important construction work this summer,” he said.
Pfeiffer also mentioned the Wet’suwet’en people who support LNG and the pipeline are concerned about jobs.
“When you think about the Wet’suwet’en community there are Wet’suwet’en workers that aren’t able to go to work right now and several of them have my cell number and reach out on a regular basis so, people are concerned that their livelihoods are at stake,” he said.
According to Pfeiffer, he has sent the Wet’suwet’en several letters and has not had an official response.
He said it’s a shame there hasn’t been a response.
“Our point in one of the letters was that meeting with the government and also meeting with us will help resolve this and we still feel that way,” he said.
The pipeline is scheduled to be completed in 2023 and stretches through 20 First-Nations from the LNG Terminal in Kitimat.