Thank you very much to all HFN citizens who were able to attend community rounds held in Anacla, Vancouver, and Port Alberni over the last couple of days (June 6-7). For those of you who were not able to attend, please read on to hear about the important announcement made by Ha’wiih and Executive Council.
Huu-ay-aht First Nations signed an Opportunity Development Agreement (ODA) with Vancouver-based Steelhead LNG that will see us work together to explore developing a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project on HFN-owned land at Sarita Bay.
The agreement does not mean we have agreed to an LNG project. It means we have agreed to look at it closely, consult our people and our neighbours, and hire our own experts to examine the issues and questions our people have related to LNG.
Over the past months, members of Ha’wiih Council and Executive Council have met regularly with Steelhead LNG in order to proceed with the ODA. However, the project itself would only go forward after extensive consultation with Huu-ay-aht citizens, including a vote on a possible land lease to the project at the Peoples’ Assembly this November.
Some of the benefits of the ODA include funding for:
- Huu-ay-aht to select and hire its own experts to evaluate the opportunity
- Supporting protection of the Kiixʔin National Historic Site
- Supporting development of a bike and walking path
We want to hear from you! To do that, we may carry out a range of communications initiatives in the coming months, which may include:
- One-on-one home meetings
- Youth advisory group
- Elder advisory group
- Regular project update meetings
- Facebook and Twitter updates
- An information phone line
If you have any questions about the Opportunity Development Agreement, please contact the Huu-ay-aht First Nations office in Port Alberni or Anacla.