1. Chief Liz Logan
"Gas extraction for LNG has the potential for massive cumulative impacts on the landscape that is already heavily impacted. There are too many unanswered questions related to the impacts of the LNG projects in our territory, and a Regional Strategic Environmental Assessment (RSEA) must be done before any more development takes place. An RSEA is a pathway to answering some of those questions."
Chief Liz Logan is the Tribal Chief for the Treaty 8 Tribal Association. She has served four terms as Chief of Fort Nelson First Nation, followed by eight years as Tribal Chief of Treaty 8 Tribal Association. At the LNG Pipedreams forum, she will be speaking on the impacts of fracking and LNG on Treaty 8 territories in northeast BC.
2. Shannon McPhail
“The BC government and LNG industry are putting our economy, environment and our communities at risk, and they are doing so with reckless haste."
Shannon McPhail is the Executive Director of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition. She lives and works in the Skeena Watershed, where her family has lived for six generations. She grew up on a working ranch, spending much of her youth hunting and fishing in the Skeena mountains. She has worked as a big-game hunting guide, a welder, a raft guide and a nutritionist at a women’s health centre. It is important to Shannon that all voices are heard when decisions are being made regarding the future of the Skeena Watershed, even if she doesn’t agree with those voices. Her commitment to the protection of this region is so strong that she spent her first seven years volunteering as the Executive Director of the organization. The Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition is one of the organizations responsible for successfully encouraging Shell to abandon their coal bed methane proposal in the Sacred Headwaters.
3. Damien Gillis
"The British Columbia government thinks liquid natural gas development is one of the keys to the province’s future. But such a future won’t come without risks."
Damien Gillis is a Vancouver-based journalist and documentary filmmaker with a focus on energy issues. He is the co-founder and publisher of the online environmental and economic news journal, The Common Sense Canadian, and is currently co-directing and co-producing a feature documentary, Fractured Land, which will appear on CBC's Documentary Channel and Knowledge Network.
4. Tracey Saxby
"At a local level, we’re looking at potential air pollution, light and noise pollution, and impacts to marine species due to underwater noise pollution. The community is very concerned about the safety of this proposed LNG facility, and the possibility of explosions and spills. There are also concerns about how this project will impact the new economy that is emerging in Squamish, which includes tourism, the film industry, the “rec tech” industry, and sustainable entrepreneurs and small business.
“Looking at the bigger picture, this project does not make sense from a climate change standpoint, and the upstream impact of fracking in northern BC is something all Canadians should be worried about."
Tracey Saxby is one of the founders of the Squamish-based community group, My Sea to Sky, which started in response to widespread concern about the proposed Woodfibre LNG project. The goals of My Sea to Sky are to educate communities in the Sea to Sky region and raise awareness about the key issues associated with Woodfibre LNG and other unsustainable development proposals. By working together and partnering with other communities and other organizations, My Sea to Sky aims to create a strong, unified voice to share a sustainable vision for Howe Sound.
5. Joyce Williams
Joyce Williams is from the Skwxwu7mesh (Squamish) First Nations and is a member of Skwomesh Action and My Sea to Sky. Skwomesh Action was formed in early 2014 to build an organized resistance to proposed pipeline projects and increased tanker traffic that threaten the Salish Sea. The group’s members are Sḵwx̱wú7mesh-ulh Stémexw (Squamish People) from Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Squamish Valley and the Sunshine Coast.
6. Susan Spratt
"Workers – and lots of them – need jobs. But we need jobs that will produce an environment our children and grandchildren will thank us for. The answer is clear. Green jobs not LNG or pipelines."
Susan Spratt is the former Area Director for CAW / Unifor. She is now retired and is devoting all her energy to defeating proposed pipelines and LNG projects. Susan strongly believes that workers must fight for green jobs that protect the planet.
7. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip
Over 37 years, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip has worked within the Penticton Indian Band Administration holding a variety of positions such as, Band Administrator, Director of Land Management, Education Counselor, Economic Development Officer and Band Planner.
Aside from serving as a member of the PIB council for a total of 24 years, he is proud to be in his fifth three-year term as the President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.
He has taken an active role in the defense of Aboriginal Title and Rights by readily offering support to Native communities in need. He has taken a personal approach seeing first-hand the impact of fish farms in the Broughton Archipelago, lobbying on Parliament Hill to defeat the First Nations Governance Act, and standing with Elders of Treaty 8 against oil and gas development in the Peace River.