The B.C. Supreme court has ruled that the province "has breached the honour of the Crown by failing to consult" with the Gitga'at and other Coastal First Nations on the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline.
In 2014, the federal government approved the controversial pipeline that would bring Alberta oil to B.C.'s north coast.
It didn't have to pass a provincial environmental assessment, because of a streamlined process that the B.C. Liberals said in 2010 would reduce "byzantine bureaucratic practices."
But First Nations opponents of the pipeline argued the province wasn't living up to its own duty to consult with them, and today, the court found in their favour.
"This is a huge victory that affirms the provincial government's duty to consult with and accommodate First Nations and to exercise its decision-making power on major projects," said Arnold Clifton, Chief Councillor of the Gitga'at First Nation, in a statement.
The path of the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline between Bruderheim, Alta. and Kitimat on the B.C. coast. (Canadian Press)
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