Longtime West Coast resident Jim Whitworth, 74, said attending the Kwispaa LNG open house on Nov. 26 at the Ucluelet Community Centre was like B次元官网网址榳alking into a room full of used car salesmenB次元官网网址�.

He said the open house left him frustrated, and reaffirmed all his inklings of concern about the proposed natural gas liquefaction and export facility located in the Barkley Sound he already knew.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 all about money,B次元官网网址� Mr. Whitworth said.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the wrong way to go. WhatB次元官网网址檚 wrong with solar? WhatB次元官网网址檚 wrong with geothermal? WhatB次元官网网址檚 wrong with all of these things? ItB次元官网网址檚 insanity. WeB次元官网网址檙e going 100 per cent the wrong way. We only have one world.B次元官网网址�

• READ MORE: (Oct. 22, 2018)

A partnership between Vancouver-based Steelhead LNG and the Bamfield-area Huu-ay-aht First Nation, Kwispaa is a 25-year, $10 billion project proposed for Sarita Bay at the southwest edge of Barkley Sound. It will process liquified natural gas piped from the mainland, then ship it to overseas markets.

Jason Sam and Johanne Goulet attended the open house as concerned residents of Ucluelet.

B次元官网网址淸Steelhead] is a privatized company and they are clearly just using the land and the people,B次元官网网址� said Goulet. B次元官网网址淲e asked what they were going to do with the byproducts and they couldnB次元官网网址檛 answer those questions.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 a terrible idea,B次元官网网址� said Sam. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 going away from renewable energies and investment completely into polluting energy for at least two to three decades. Plus, the amount of tanker traffic that is going to be going through there is crazy.B次元官网网址�

Sam, a member of Ahousaht First Nation, went on to say he thought it was strange the LNG company was only partnering with Huu-ay-aht as Sarita Bay is the traditional territory of 14 Nuu-chah-nulth Nations.

During the open house, the Westerly B次元官网网址 asked to speak to a member of Huu-ay-aht First Nations, but no representative was in attendance.

Kelly Bedford manages WestCoast Wild Adventures, a floatplane, zipline and kayak ecotour operator, located on Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations traditional territory.

B次元官网网址淚 paused for a moment when I looked around the room and noticed that nobody was from [the community] at all,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hat separates the project from the community that I call home.B次元官网网址�

He thought it was a bit odd that nobody from Huu-ay-aht was at the Ucluelet open house.

B次元官网网址淚 think moving forward the way for First Nations to engage with the land is tourism. ItB次元官网网址檚 ecotourism. ThatB次元官网网址檚 the way of the future for sure. It involves taking care of the land,B次元官网网址� said Bedford.

Local retiree Phil Hood said itB次元官网网址檚 great that Huu-ay-aht is involved, but thinks itB次元官网网址檚 equally important that the town of Ucluelet is equally consulted.

B次元官网网址淎 kayaker kayaking down Trevor Channel is going to be exposed to something pretty out-of-the-ordinary. WhatB次元官网网址檚 that going to look like? Do they care about that kayaker?B次元官网网址� said Hood.

B次元官网网址淚 think that itB次元官网网址檚 really important that that kayaker be a respected voice in the decision as should be the fisherman as should be the environmentalist.B次元官网网址�

Kwispaa LNG is a tough sell, adds Hood.

B次元官网网址淭he concept of tankers coming through the Barkley Sound; thatB次元官网网址檚 a tough concept to swallow,B次元官网网址� he said.

• READ MORE: (Sept. 19, 2018)

Steelhead LNG project manager Nathan Gloag encouraged members of the community to provide feedback.

B次元官网网址淧art of our philosophy at Steelhead is to be out in the community as much as possible. WeB次元官网网址檝e always said along the way that we want to continue to engage with the local community as we progress through the project,B次元官网网址� he said.

Since Steelhead LNG and Huu-ay-aht first entered into a co-management relationship in 2014, Gloag noted they have hosted several LNG 101 and community engagement sessions in Ucluelet, Bamfield, Port Alberni, Nanaimo, and Victoria.

B次元官网网址淲e understand that not everyone is in support of the project or even agrees with the project, but we are here to provide as much factual information to give people,B次元官网网址� said Gloag.

Kwispaa LNG has formally entered the environmental assessment phase.

B次元官网网址淲e have advanced environmental work into the field and will work the concerns into the development of the project over the next few years,B次元官网网址� Gloag said.

Potential project related effects to the environment, as stated in the , include a destruction of freshwater and marine fish habit, loss of habitat to marine vegetation, a loss of habitat for migratory birds due to the project footprint and from sensory disturbance, and a direct and indirect loss to marine mammal habitat.

A final investment decision for Kwispaa LNG is slated for 2020.

Conceptual rendering of the proposed at-shore LNG export facility at Sarita Bay. (Photo Courtesy of Steelhead LNG)

• READ MORE: (July 7, 2018)
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