Steve Wilson, the former elected chief councillor of the Haisla Nation, says at first he was convinced of the economic benefits of exporting gas. But after almost two years breathing fumes from near-daily flaring at the LNG Canada plant, he’s more concerned about people’s health.
Wilson, a beaver clan member who holds the traditional name Dux la ha, opened a town hall meeting in Kitimat this week with an eagle down ceremony, “a sacred pledge of peace” to create “a safe place to have dialogue” about an issue that has many residents conflicted.
The Kitimat terminal, it turns out, has been flaring off more gas than any other LNG facility in the world. The foreign owners promise a fix, but it could take years. In the meantime, people are left breathing a toxic mix of pollution – including unknown amounts of carcinogenic benzene.
Yes, the massive gas plant pays property taxes to the District of Kitimat. It employs around 300 people. But it also has to pay residents to relocate to hotels in other towns, when the flaring gets so loud they can’t sleep, and people wake up to cars covered in black dust.
Wilson welcomed LNG opponents to share facts and observations, including Drew Harris and Grace Vickers of the Lax’yip Firekeepers, public health doctor Tim K. Takaro, Tracey Saxby of My Sea to Sky, and acute care nurse Ankur Patel, who grew up in and works in Kitimat.
The town hall was part of a regional tour, showing northern residents infrared footage of the facility belching out far more pollution than is visible with the naked eye. There are large gaps in available air quality data, but anecdotally, asthma and other symptoms are on the rise.
Doctors and nurses are calling for a comprehensive health impacts review, with support from four municipalities so far. But the province is dragging its feet. And while regulators acknowledge that LNG Canada flaring is “out of compliance,” they have yet to issue a fine.
Kitimatians sound ready to start organizing. “Thank you so much for coming and sharing your wisdom, your knowledge, and waking us up,” said one attendee at the town hall. “Because now we have some fervour and enthusiasm to do more research and get more involved.”
Nobody should be poisoned in their own home – least of all to pad the profits of unaccountable foreign oil and gas companies, or Wall Street investors.
