« The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding is a proud moment for the Canadian Coast Guard and is solid proof of the successes that nation-to-nation negotiations can bring,” said Mario Pelletier, CCG Commissioner. (photo Canadian Coast Guard)

Port Renfrew, BC – The Canadian Coast Guard and the Pacheedaht First Nation, as part of the Co-Developing Community Response initiative of the Trans-Mountain Expansion Project, announced the signing on June 29 of a Memorandum of Understanding for the construction of a multipurpose marine facility in Port Renfrew, British Columbia.

The MOU outlines a path forward for the Coast Guard and the Pacheedaht Nation to build a marine facility with the primary mission to provide marine search and rescue and environmental response services, as well as strengthen marine safety and response capacity in the Juan de Fuca Strait.

 The $12.6 billion Trans-Mountain Pipeline project, approved in June 2019,  basically twins the existing 1,150 km pipeline between Strathcona County, near Edmonton (Alberta) and Burnaby, BC. Upon completion in 2022, the system’s capacity will increase from 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 barrels per day.

 « The construction of the Marine Safety Centre in Pacheedaht territory has been a vision of the Nation for many years,“ said Chief Jeff Jones. “It will help Pacheedaht exercise a greater role in protecting and managing the 112 km of marine coastline, vast territorial waters and abundant resources. This MOU is a great step forward in building a government to government partnership between Pacheedaht First Nation and the Canadian Coast Guard. »

« The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding is a proud moment for the Canadian Coast Guard and is solid proof of the successes that nation-to-nation negotiations can bring,” said Mario Pelletier, CCG Commissioner.