The Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs have allowed Coastal GasLink (CGL) temporary access to the company’s worksite near Houston to do maintenance.
“CGL has been granted 6-8 hours access for a work crew to winterize their personnel accommodations and equipment at site 9A, since no personnel will remain at the site during the coming cold snap,” a press release stated. “One time access will be granted to avoid damages to CGL assets and the surrounding environment. CGL has confirmed in writing that they will leave Dark House territory after winterizing Site 9A.”
A spokesperson for the company said they are grateful for the access.
“Our focus remains on finding a peaceful and mutually agreeable resolution. Site 9A remains unoccupied and we are working cooperatively with the Unist’ot’en (Dark House) to access the site to conduct maintenance to prevent damage while it remains unoccupied.
READ MORE: B.C. human rights commissioner asks Canadian government to halt Coastal GasLink
“Our crews are on-site today. The maintenance work is anticipated to take several hours. We appreciate the agreement of the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs for access and are committed to continuing our effort to find common ground.”
The chiefs said the agreement does not represent a softening of their position.
READ MORE: Hereditary chiefs say “we never will” support Coastal GasLink pipeline
“This limited access was offered in good faith as a demonstration of wiggus or respect by us as Dinï ze’ and Ts’akë ze’ in our dealings with CGL, despite the lack of consent for CGL’s property and pre-construction activities on our unceded territory. This arrangement in no way constitutes consultation with CGL,” the press release said. “We remain steadfast in our position that no pipeline will be built on unceded Wet’suwet’en territory. As Hereditary Chiefs, we will continue to uphold Wet’suwet’en law on these lands and ensure that our eviction order stands.”
editor@interior-news.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
