Northern Gateway Hearings: Sessions for February 4-8, 2013

Our week to week archive of the final sessions of the Joint Review Panel, which take place in Prince Rupert from February 4 through to May 18th.

You can review the schedule of sessions and gain access to our background information on them here.

Our full archive of past sessions both in Prince Rupert and elsewhere can be found here.

The sessions for the period of February 4-8 can be found below.

Live Audio Webcast feed from the Joint Review Panel sessions  (click here)

North Coast Review Items


February 4-- Coastal First Nations exit the Northern Gateway Process  
February 4-- Enbridge hearings return to the North Coast  
February 1-- The Next Battle over Bitumen?


Items from other media sources

Vancouver Sun-- B. C. government questions Northern Gateway experts on oil spill plan
Vancouver Sun-- Federal policy hamstrings high-job energy growth
Vancouver Sun-- Coastal First Nations group pulls out of Enbridge hearings
Vancouver Sun-- Two lone voices support pipeline at hearings
Vancouver Sun-- Alberta must respect B. C. pipeline concerns
Northern View-- Enbridge on the hot seat (Feb 13 e edition pages 1 and 3)
Northern View-- Enbridge hearings in Prince Rupert begin
Northern View-- Proposal made to ship oil from Prince Rupert
Globe and Mail-- Does diluted bitumen float? Experts, activists at pipeline hearing can't agree
Globe and Mail-- Teen activist strikes nerve with statement to pipeline hearing
Globe and Mail-- First Nations representative abandons Northern Gateway
CBC-- Terry Lake takes front row seat at J. R. P. (audio)
CBC-- Enbridge grilled on pipeline Safety
CBC-- Coastal First Nations quit Northern Gateway hearings
CFTK-- Environmental Groups to Question Enbridge Officials at Today's JRP Hearings
CFTK-- Will Diluted Bitumen Sink of Float?
CFTK-- JRP FInal Hearing Underway in Prince Rupert
CFTK-- JRP Final Hearings Question Enbridges Prevention and Response Plans
CFTK-- JRP Hearings Day 3 (video)
CFTK-- JRP Hearings Day 2 (video)
CFTK-- JRP Hearings Day 1 (video)
QCI Observer -- CHN quizzes Enbridge officials in Prince Rupert

Enbridge hearings return to the North Coast

The long running Enbridge road show has left behind the Lower Mainland and Okanagan sessions and worked its way back to the North Coast, where the last of the public sessions will move forward through the Spring.

The controversial hearings have provided for much discussion and emotion across the province. The  recent Vancouver, Victoria and Okanagan sessions making for protests in the streets at times and a closing of the doors to only those who had registered to speak in front of the panel.

The homestretch of the proceedings is now in sight however, with Prince Rupert  playing host to the final public sessions through February, March, April and May.

The sessions at the North Coast Meeting and Convention Centre will run as follows:

February 4-8                 8:30 to 3:30 PM
February 18-23             8:30 to 3:30 PM (Saturday 8:30 to 12:30 PM)
February 25--March 1  8:30 to 3:30 PM
March 11-16                  8:30 to 3:30 PM (Saturday 8:30 to 12:30 PM)
March 18-22                  8:30 to 3:30 PM
April 2-6                         8:30 to 3:30 PM (Saturday 8:30 to 12:30 PM)
April 8-12                       8:30 to 3:30 PM
April 22-27                     8:30 to 3:30 PM (Saturday 8:30 to 12:30 PM)
April 29-- May 3            8:30 to 3:30 PM
May 13-18                      8:30 to 3:30 PM (Saturday 8:30-12:30 PM)
 
A live audio feed has been made available from the Northern Gateway Hearing website, providing coverage of the hearings as they move forward in Prince Rupert.

Transcripts of each day's sessions are also provided on the website shortly after the day's proceedings have been archived.

Complete information on the Joint Review Panel's proceedings can be found on their website here.

Some background on the past sessions across the province can be found on our archive page.

They're here... Joint Review Panel sets up shop in Prince Rupert

The Enbridge Northern Gateway Joint Review Panel opens up the first of the latest scheduled sessions for Prince Rupert today  set to start at 8:30 this morning at the North Coast Convention Centre at the Chances Entertainment Centre on First Avenue West.

The Joint Review Panel last appeared in Prince Rupert back in February, amid much interest and vocal contribution at the time. Since then the Panel held lengthy and extended sessions in Prince George, before rescheduling an increased number  of further sessions for Prince Rupert, owing to the large volume of would be participants seeking an opportunity to make their presentations on the issue.

The first phase of the latest Prince Rupert stop features a seven day opening review, that offers up residents of the North Coast the opportunity to weigh in on the controversial pipeline and terminal project, that if approved will bring Northern Alberta bitumen across Northern British Columbia, to a planned terminal at Kitimat.

The current session runs from 8:30 am to 4:00 PM each day (except Sunday) and are just the first instalment of the homestretch for Joint Review Panel, which upon next Monday's concluding session  will break for the holidays and then return to Prince Rupert in February for more sessions through until May.

The Panel recently concluded over two months of presentations and observations in Prince George, sessions that at times became contentious over issues of the environment and the challenges of geography, wildlife habitat and the potential effects of pipeline development on them, to name a few.

The Prince Rupert sessions (an audio broadcast of the proceedings will be available online) will no doubt continue on with that theme, with added input as to the concerns of those that live on the North Coast and the impact that the project may have not only on the environment, but on communities up and down the North Pacific region.

Among the discussion topics for the Prince Rupert stop for the Panel will be:

--The potential impacts of the project on Aboriginal rights and interests
--The environmental effects associated with the marine terminal and marine shipping
--The socio-economic effects associated with the marine terminal and marine shipping
--The operations, safety, accident prevention and response related to the marine terminal and marine transportation
--Engagement and Consultation

As a bit of background on what has taken place so far, you can review our catalogue of items from the Prince George sessions from our Northern Gateway Pipeline Archive.

Details on this next phase of the conversation which starts today can be found from the Joint Review Panel's website, which also features the full schedule of upcoming sessions and transcriptions of the past sessions.

Among the useful links from the website:

Hearing Schedule
Daily Update Page (features line up of participants that day)
Audio Broadcast
FAQ's on Joint Review Sessions

Enbridge also has a website developed that is dedicated to the Northern Gateway project, which you can view here.

We will follow the developments of the Prince Rupert stop of the tour below, providing our own ongoing archive of items of note.

Joint Review Panel Prince Rupert Sessions

December 10 to 17, 2012
February 4 -8, 2013
February 8-23, 2013
February 25 - March 1, 2013
March 11-16, 2013
March 18-22, 2013
April 2-6, 2013
April 8-12, 2013
April 22-27, 2013
April 29- May 3, 2013
May 13- 18, 2013

Friday, December 14

National Post-- Northern Gateway hearings turning into showdown over First Nations rights
Victoria Times Colonist-- Spectators barred from Enbridge hearings in Victoria
Vancouver Sun-- Enbridge can't deny islands, Great Bear Rainforest

Thursday, December 13

CBC Radio Almanac-- Northern Gateway and First Nations Consultation in Prince Rupert
Global BC-- First Nations communities oppose pipeline due to thriving seafood industry (video)
Prince George Citizen-- Enbridge, environmental group squawk on Twitter
Vancouver Province-- Spill could wipe out pipeline benefits
Vancouver Sun-- First nations leaders sign declaration banning pipelines, oil tankers int B. C.
Vancouver Sun-- B. C. Pipeline proposal heading toward showdown over First Nations rights

Wednesday, December 12

Vancouver Sun-- B. C. native leaders plan declaration banning pipelines, tankers and oilsands
Vancouver Sun-- Cost of worst-case tanker spill outweighs rewards of Northern Gateway: UBC study
Vancouver Province-- UBC study shows cost of a major tanker spill would offset any benefit of Northern Gateway pipeline
CFTK TV-- Pipeline Play (video)
CTV BC-- Cost of Oil spill could wipeout economic gains: study (video)
Northern View-- Oil spill could cost the north coast economy more than $300 million, UBC study finds
National Post-- Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline faces fight from scallop farmers

Tuesday, December 11

Global BC-- Enbridge hearings focus on marine life (video)
Vancouver Sun-- Enbridge underestimates tanker risks in North Pacific, pipeline hearing told
Globe and Mail-- Anti-Gateway rally shines light on marine mishaps
National Post-- Oil pipelines remain a hard sell, industry working to 'get the message out'
Vancouver Observer-- Sixty percent of British Columbians oppose Enbridge pipeline: poll
Vancouver Province-- Enbridge consistently underestimates tanker risks in North Pacific, critics say
Vancouver Province-- Northern Gateway hearing begins with conflicting opinions
Vancouver Province-- Ship-oil discharges cited as danger
Northern View-- Gitga'at commissioned poll shows 60 per cent of British Columbians oppose Enbridge
CKPG TV-- New poll on Northern Gateway Project
CFTK-- Rupert JRP Day 2 (video)
CFTK-- JRP Hearings Continue in Prince Rupert

Monday, December 10

CFTK TV-- JRP Enbridge Hearings Begin Prince Rupert Phase Today
CFTK-- Rupert JRP Enbridge (video)
CBC Daybreak North-- For unemployed, Northern Gateway pipeline offers hope (audio)
CBC-- Enbridge Northern Gateway hearings return to Prince Rupert
CTV BC-- Big oil spill less harmful than regular minor ones, pipeline panel told (video)
CTV BC-- Pipeline panel arrives in Prince Rupert for next phase of hearings (video)
Opinion 250-- Northern Gateway Hearings Move to Prince Rupert
Vancouver Province-- Northern Gateway pipeline foes shift focus to tankers
Vancouver Province-- Eco-Activists more dangerous than industry
Vancouver Observer-- Citizens deliver petition opposing Enbridge's 'missing islands' video
Vancouver Observer-- Enbridge pipeline hearings return to Prince Rupert, days after tanker with crack in hull arrives a terminal
Vancouver Sun-- Chronic Oil a greater risk than tanker spill, Northern Gateway panel told
Vancouver Sun-- Pipeline panel arrives in Prince Rupert for next phase of hearings