British ColumbiaThe president of an organization representing First Nations along British Columbia’s North Coast says it won’t support a new bitumen pipeline proposal from Alberta’s premier “now or ever.”Alta. premier says province will take lead on pipeline through northwest B.C.Akshay Kulkarni · CBC News · Posted: Oct 01, 2025 7:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours agoMarilyn Slett, elected chief councillor of the Heiltsuk Tribal Council, said that First Nations in northwest B.C. would never support a pipeline through the area, even as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province would act as a proponent for one. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press)The president of an organization representing First Nations along British Columbia’s North Coast says it won’t support a new bitumen pipeline proposal from Alberta’s premier “now or ever.”Danielle Smith announced Wednesday that Alberta was taking the lead and acting as a proponent for a pipeline to B.C.’s northwest coast, and that the province had applied to the federal Major Projects Office to get approvals for a project that the premier says is in the national interest.The pipeline, however, has no private backer — and faces major hurdles in the form of a moratorium on oil tankers in northern B.C. and stiff opposition from First Nations in the area.WATCH | Smith says province will front new pipeline proposal: Alberta to kick-start proposal for a pipeline to northern B.C. coastAlberta Premier Danielle Smith tells Power & Politics her province will act as the proponent for an application to the Major Projects Office for a new pipeline from Alberta to the northern B.C. coast.Even as Conservative politicians and business groups say a new pipeline would be beneficial for B.C., Marilyn Slett, president of the Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative and the elected chief of the Heiltsuk First Nation, says the project would devastate the ecosystem along the northern coast.”This is not something that we would ever support,” she told CBC News. “There is no project that … we would ever support the lifting of that moratorium.”The Nathan E. Stewart spilled 110,000 litres of diesel and heavy oils into the Heiltsuk Nation’s fishing territory on B.C.’s Central Coast in October 2016. (Heiltsuk Nation)Slett pointed to a 2016 oil spill as one of the main reasons that the moratorium went into place. The Nathan E. Stewart tugboat spilled 110,000 litres of diesel and heavy oils in the water near Bella Bella, in Heiltsuk territories, and Slett said the area hasn’t recovered.”It happened in one of our ancient village sites. And it also happened in an area that was very, very important to harvesting all different types of seafood for our community,” she said.”We’ve seen what the impacts can be on that scale and, you know, you put in a major oil crude tanker … it would absolutely destroy and devastate the coast,” she added.Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, said the pipeline proposal was an attack on the constitutional rights of First Nations in British Columbia. (Ben Nelms/CBC)Slett is not alone in her opposition, with B.C. Premier David Eby and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) also coming out against Smith’s pipeline proposal.”Any proposal to ram a new oil pipeline through to B.C.’s North Coast is a direct assault on the inherent and constitutionally protected title and rights of the First Nations who steward these lands and waters,” UBCIC Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said in a statement.Eby said the project simply lacked the backing to succeed, and there were already numerous projects underway in B.C. that could benefit from federal attention.Jeremy Valeriote, the Green MLA for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, said the demand for clean energy was increasing rapidly across the world. (CBC)B.C. Green Party MLA Jeremy Valeriote, meanwhile, said looking to fossil fuels to drive Canada’s economy is an outdated idea and there should be a focus on renewable energy instead.”A new crude oil pipeline isn’t just economically nonsensical — it’s irresponsible,” he wrote in a statement.”We’re calling on the [B.C.] government to hold firm, stay focused on what matters to communities and leave redundant, dead-end projects in the past.” Tories, commerce leader in favourSome pro-business groups in B.C., however, say the proposal would be valuable for the provincial and national economy.”Canada is heavily reliant on our resources, and there are customers around the world who need these resources and we should be providing them to the customers who are looking to purchase them,” said Alex McMillan, interim CEO of the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, on Wednesday.B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad said Canada needs to take advantage of its national resources at a time when U.S. tariffs are taking a toll on the economy.”I actually think that the federal government will look at that from a perspective of what is in the best interest for Canadians,” he said. “And I think, quite frankly, British Columbia should get onside, support the project and also push for the lift of the moratorium so that this can be done.”B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad said a new pipeline would allow Canada to stop exporting so much of its oil down south to the U.S. (Ben Nelms/CBC)ABOUT THE AUTHORAkshay Kulkarni is an award-winning journalist who has worked at CBC British Columbia since 2021. Based in Vancouver, he is most interested in data-driven stories. You can email him at akshay.kulkarni@cbc.ca.With files from Robson Fletcher and Radio-Canada’s Jennifer Magher
First Nations on B.C.’s North Coast won’t support Alberta’s pipeline proposal ‘now or ever,’ says chief
