Port of Prince Rupert orders protesters to end Lelu Island camp

The Prince Rupert Port Authority has orderedprotestersto stop construction ofa camp on Lelu Island, the site of a proposed LNG export terminal on B.C.'s North Coast.

The port saysit consulted with the leadership of local Coast Tsimshian communities before it issued the notice to campers on Monday.

The proposedPacific NorthWest LNGplant to be built by Petronasat Lelu Islandcould bethelargest private-sector investment in B.C.'s history, valued at $36 billion and estimated to create 4,500 construction jobs.

While theproject has beenapproved bysome of First Nations in the area, some members oftheLax Kw'alaams First Nation have been protesting the project for the past eight months by constructing an encampment.

Lelu Islandis at the mouth of the Skeena River,B.C.'s second largest salmon-bearing river, which is causing potentialenvironmental concerns for members of the First Nation.

Porttellsland occupiers to stop

The port says it has the authority to order the removal of the camp.

The President of the Port of Prince RupertDon Kruselsaid, "We respect the right of any individual or group to express their opinions concerning port development if it is done in a safe and peaceful manner. However, raising makeshift structures does not meet that definition and has not been authorized."

The federal government has yet to make a decision on whether to allow the proposed LNG project to proceed.

Google maps: Lelu Island, B.C.