Gitga’at First Nation One Step Closer to New Marine Emergency Response and Research Facility in Hartley Bay

The Gitga’at First Nation and LNG Canada announced today that Gitga’at First Nation will construct and operate a new Marine Emergency Response and Research Facility in Hartley Bay, having finalized the terms of a financial agreement with LNG Canada. The Response and Research Facility will support marine safety, research and monitoring in Gitga’at territory, as well as the protection of the coastal environment.

The Marine Emergency Response and Research Facility will consist of a shore-based structure, a research vessel, and communications equipment, and will be staffed by trained Gitga’at employees. These staff will work in collaboration with federal and provincial agencies to provide front-line support for marine emergencies, and will undertake research and monitoring programs in Gitga’at territory. Gitga’at will design and construct the facility, and will be responsible for its ongoing operations and maintenance. LNG Canada will provide financial support as committed in the Impact Mitigation and Benefit Agreement written in 2014.

“We are excited to be building a Marine Emergency Response and Research Facility located in the heart of our territory in Hartley Bay,” said Arnold Clifton, Chief Councillor of the Gitga’at First Nation. “The facility will allow us to continue to conduct world-class research and monitoring programs, improve our marine safety and response capabilities, and ensure we have continued opportunities for our members to live and work in their home community.”

“We are very pleased to be delivering on this key commitment to Gitga’at First Nation outlined in our 2014 Agreement,” said Susannah Pierce, LNG Canada’s Director of Corporate Affairs. “This is a generational opportunity that will provide lasting benefits for all Gitga’at members and for northern British Columbia. Mutually beneficial partnerships like the agreement with Gitga’at have been at the heart of LNG Canada’s success.”

Future updates on the Marine Emergency Response and Research Facility will be posted on both the Gitga’at First Nation and LNG Canada’s respective websites and social media.

ABOUT GITGA’AT FIRST NATION

The Gitga’at are a part of the Tsimshian peoples, and have occupied the lands and waters around Txalgiuw (Hartley Bay) – approximately 12,500 square kilometres of land and water in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest – for millennia. To protect its culture and natural heritage, and to ensure the flourishing of new generations, the Gitga’at Nation supports Indigenous-led environmental monitoring programs, local eco-tourism economies, aquaculture, and collaborative research with diverse academic communities.

ABOUT LNG CANADA

The LNG Canada joint venture is building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada, which will initially consist of two LNG processing units referred to as “trains”. LNG Canada is a joint venture comprised of Royal Dutch Shell plc, through its affiliate Shell Canada Energy (40%); PETRONAS, through its wholly-owned entity, North Montney LNG Limited Partnership (25%); PetroChina Company Limited, through its subsidiary PetroChina Canada Limited (15%); Mitsubishi Corporation, through its subsidiary Diamond LNG Canada Partnership (15%); and Korea Gas Corporation, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Kogas Canada LNG Ltd (5%). It is operated through LNG Canada Development Inc.

Contact Information:

Andrew Frank
Communications Officer
Gitga’at First Nation
604-367-2112

LNG Canada
media@LNGCanada.ca
604.761.5529