B.C.-based community and human rights groups are in court against Woodfibre LNG over concerns related to its floatel (floating hotel) accommodations.
Concerns were raised by My Sea to Sky, an environmental organization founded in 2014, “to defend, protect and restore Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound.”
On Wednesday, two community groups, including My Sea to Sky and Justice For Girls, began the first of three days in federal court, “challenging Singaporean-controlled Woodfibre LNG’s installation of a floating work camp.”
My Sea to Sky said that the camp is in the waters of Canada’s most recent UNESCO biosphere region.
According to Woodfibre, “The Woodfibre LNG Project will be the world’s first net-zero LNG export facility and will set a new global standard for sustainability in the industry.”
Tracey Saxby, the executive director for My Sea to Sky, said, “The environmental assessment process is broken. We are asking the court to find that the federal government followed an unfair process when it approved Woodfibre LNG’s work camp, and failed to discharge their duty to protect human rights and the environment.”
A press release from My Sea to Sky stated that Woodfibre LNG docked the floatel workcamp “at the project site in Squamish last July, despite the federal government failing to consult the public as it had committed to do.”
Construction on the Woodfibre LNG facility began in 2023 near Squamish.
Saxby added, “We’re dealing with fallout and confusion from the streamlined environmental permitting process, where the government treats public engagement as nothing more than a checkbox.”
She added that this particular case is especially relevant because B.C. Premier David Eby and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney have proposed fast-tracking approvals for large-scale projects, “but destructive resource extraction projects like this need more oversight, not less, and public engagement must be meaningful.”
Daily Hive contacted the B.C. government, but in response, the Environmental Assessment Office stated, “We are unable to comment on matters before the courts.”
We also asked Woodfibre LNG for comment, and we did receive a response.
“Woodfibre LNG has undergone a rigorous amendment process for the MV Isabelle floatel in collaboration with provincial, federal, and Squamish Nation Regulators,” it said.
“We fully support the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office, and the Squamish Nation’s analyses and recommendations regarding the floatel.”
It added, “While we do not comment on matters before the courts, we look forward to the resolution of the federal court process.”
Justice for Girls also spoke out about a proposed second floatel.
Roberta Williams, a Skwxu7mesh Nation elder and an applicant in the Justice for Girls’ judicial review, said, “It’s hard to understand how it’s possible that another, larger floating man camp could arrive when the community wasn’t able to express their concerns over the first one.”
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