B.C. companies nervous over Supreme Court decision in favour of First Nations

B.C. businesses worry a landmark high-court decision released Thursday that broadens First Nations’ land rights could create barriers to development and stall key industrial projects worth billions of dollars.

Proposed projects that could be affected include Enbridge’s $7.9-billion Northern Gateway oil pipeline, Kinder Morgan’s $5.4-billion Trans Mountain oil pipeline, and tens of billions more in liquefied natural gas plants and gas pipelines. Mining and forestry projects could also be at risk.

Hours after the decision was released, the first challenge was issued by the Tahltan Nation, which announced it was preparing a title and rights case to stop the $789-million Fortune Minerals’ Arctos Anthracite coal project in their traditional territory in northern B.C.

However, industry representatives also cautiously offered the opinion that the decision could provide more clarity on how resource development must be conducted with First Nations, which could end up being a positive for the province.