Occupancy of a workforce accommodation camp in the section of Coastal GasLink’s (CGL) pipeline route between Hazelton and Houston is slated to begin in July 2020.
A Nov. 18 update provided by the company said current construction on the project is focused on right-of-way clearing in Sections 1, 2, 3 and 8 of its route.
READ MORE: Unist’ot’en supporter arrested for denying contractor access to pipeline site
Fourteen per cent of the route has been cleared, the update stated.
“Rain and snow conditions are posing unfavourable conditions leading to clearing delays in some areas,” the report noted.
In Section 7, located between Hazelton and Houston, the development is focused on “environmental field studies for pre-construction.”
CGL also recently made inroads on a temporary-use permit (TUP) for the Huckleberry camp after the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (RDBN) reversed an earlier decision and approved TC Energy’s application for a TUP relating to the site.
The permit covers a 42.94 hectare area beside the Morice Owen Forest Service Road and is expected to house around 800 campers during its expected three to four years of operation.
At the Sept. 19 meeting during which the orginal applicaton was denied, some directors and resident Bobby Seinen expressed concerns over topics such as rough conditions on Morice River Rd., the volume of traffic and TC Energy’s (CGL parent company) communication with the public.
READ MORE: Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs demand stop work order against CGL
Pipe delivery for the Houston stockpile site is slated for December, while route clearing for Section 7 has been scheduled to start in January.
CGL is also currently working on grading and early site preparation work for the Huckleberry site, located some 30 kilometres south of Houston along the 78-kilometre stretch of pipeline route.
In the update the company said scheduled clearing has been going well despite the challenges provided by weather.
“Several milestones were recently achieved including the opening of the Sukunka Lodge site in Section 2,” the company said.
The site features a gym, lounge and 24-hour snack bar — as well as cell service and wi-fi — for its approximately 150 workers.
The development has not been without controversy, particularly within the Section 7 route.
The Unist’ot’en encampment and healing lodge had been blocking the company’s access to the site until hereditary chiefs agreed on Jan. 10 to abide by a B.C. Supreme Court interim injunction issued in December. The temporary injunction was originally scheduled to last until May 1, but the matter is still before the Court.
Earlier this month Police arrested a Unist’ot’en supporter after she attempted to prevent a Coastal GasLink (CGL) contractor from accessing the company’s worksite near Houston.
The woman said she was enforcing a protocol agreement requiring the company to give advance notice of any vehicles scheduled to pass through the Morice River Bridge checkpoint.
CGL subsequently acknowledged they had not followed the protocol.
“CGL were in contact with the RCMP and, after reviewing the incident, they advised that they had inadvertently not followed an agreement that they had made with the protestor regarding access,” stated an RCMP press release made the morning following the arrest.
“Given this information, the RCMP exercised discretion and released the protestor immediately with the understanding that the matter would be resolved between the parties.”
trevor.hewitt@interior-news.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
