Maliseet First Nations voice concerns on Energy East pipeline

New Brunswick'ssix MaliseetFirst Nations voiced concerns about the Energy East pipeline during the last day of National Energy Board board hearings on the project in the province on Tuesday, but they fell short of taking a stance on the project.

"We are in no position to at this time to comment on whether the proposed pipeline is in the interest to the public or our communities," said Russ Letica, consultation co-ordinator with MadawaskaFirst Nation.

Letica told the review panel his communityhas many concerns about the proposedpipeline, including potential environmental impacts, increased marine shipping andTransCanada's emergencyplanning in the case of a spill.

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KingsclearFirst Nation Chief GabrielAtwinwent a step further, saying the project would be detrimental to the First Nation's land.

"The project would destroy the areas we traditionally use for ceremonies to keep my people alive,"Atwinsaid.

But theMaliseetcommunities told the NEB review panel they are waiting for a traditional land use study and technical review of the project, which is beingcarried out by the First Nations and expected to be completed in the fall, before they give a final opinion on the project.

First Nations in the Maritimes signed peace and friendship treaties with European settlers, but never ceded their lands to the Crown, as happened in other parts of Canada.

During the first three days of hearings last week in Saint John, several Mi`kmaq First Nations and groups, includingEsgenopetitjFirst Nation ChiefAlveryPaul appeared as interveners. Like the Maliseet First Nations, they also reserved final judgment on the project.

TransCanada responds

Letica posed one question to TransCanada during his presentation what does consent mean to the company?

John Van der Put,TransCanada'svice president of eastern oil pipeline projects, told reporters "TransCanadais striving to achieve consent. We seek to understand what [First Nations']issues are, what their concerns are."

TransCanadasaidthe issue of consent legally pertains to the Crown, but told Letica during the hearings that it aims for consent to berespectful, conclusive, frequent, transparent andresponsible.

Letica said he was disappointed by the response.

"I don't believe my question was answered ... Consent is either to comply or yield," Letica said.

Panel moves on

The proposed 4,600-kilometre pipeline would bring one million barrels a day of Alberta crude to Saint John for refining at the Irving Oil Ltd. refinery or for export on ships through a terminal in the Bay of Fundy.

The three-person panel heard presentations from interveners in Saint John for three days last week and in Fredericton on Monday.

Tuesday was the final dayof hearings in New Brunswick. The panelnow moveson to Montreal for hearings that are scheduled to beginAug. 29.

The NEB panel is scheduled to hear from 337 interveners during its visits to nine cities, concluding in Kingston, Ont., in December.

The federal government is to receive the NEB report on the proposed pipeline by March 16, 2018.