GSX Concerned Citizens Coalition
576 Johnson Street
Victoria,  BC, V8W 1M3

Media Release

31 May 2002

GSX Review Suspended Over First Nations Consultations

Victoria, BC: The Joint Review Panel of the National Energy Board (NEB) and
the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) has today extended its
suspension of the schedule for the review of the Georgia Strait Crossing
(GSX) natural gas pipeline. The Panel insists the Crown must carry out
consultations with First Nations before the review proceeds to the final
hearing.

"We are glad to see that First Nations rights are being given some respect
by the Panel," said Thomas Hackney, Director of the GSX Concerned Citizens
Coalition. "It is also more fair to the other intervenors that First Nations
consultations be addressed first. They could bring big changes to the
project, and we have a right to know the actual project we are intervening
on, before we go to hearings."

The Joint Review Panel first suspended the schedule for the review of GSX on
16 April 2002, citing a delay in its ruling on whether to include in the
review the end-use emissions from gas transported by GSX. At that time the
Panel asked the proponent, GSX PL Ltd, to comment on "how GSX PL will ensure
that evidence of Crown consultation will be filed prior to the commencement
of the oral hearing."

In today's ruling, Panel says, "... the Panel expects that prior to the
commencement of the oral hearing, GSX PL will provide evidence that
consultation has been carried out." This implicitly contradicts the Crown's
position. In a letter to the Panel of 8 May 2002, the Department of Justice,
Canada (representing Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks
Canada and Natural Resources Canada, the federal intervenors on GSX) said,
"The Federal Intervenors wish to reiterate that consultation is an iterative
and ongoing process which will be informed and complemented by the hearing
itself. By the very nature of the process, consultations cannot be completed
prior to the commencement of the hearing."

The applicant, GSX PL Ltd, a subsidiary of BC Hydro, said in its letter to
the Panel of 13 May 2002: "... The Panel must therefore reject the argument
that the hearing of the GSX PL application must await the completion of
Crown consultation with Aboriginal peoples. Such an argument is illogical
and would produce a result that would be both unreasonable and impractical."

for further information, contact:
Thomas Hackney (250) 381-4463; or Arthur Caldicott (250) 743-5551

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