Newsletter December 2011 - Volume 3

Process Updates

Oral Statements

• The deadline to register to make an oral statement to the Panel during the upcoming community hearings was 6 October 2011. By the close of the deadline, more than 4300 people had registered to make an oral statement to the Panel.

Intervenors and Government Participants (Parties)

• The deadline for Parties to notify the Panel if they intend to present oral evidence at the community hearings was 6 October 2011. By the close of the deadline, 53 Intervenors had registered.
  
  
• On 6 October 2011, Northern Gateway Pipelines Inc. provided responses to the written questions that were asked by the Panel, Intervenors and Government Participants during the first round of information requests.
  
  

• The deadline for the second round of information requests sent by Intervenors and Government Participants to Northern Gateway Pipeline Inc. was 3 November 2011. On 24 November 2011, Northern Gateway Pipeline Inc. provided responses to the information requests asked by the Panel, Intervenors and Government Participants.
  
  If you would like to view any of these information requests (questions or responses), they are available on the public registry at www.gatewaypanel.review.gc.ca. Questions from the Panel can found in the folder “A-Panel”, questions from Intervenors can be found in the folder “D-Intervenors” and questions from Government Participants can be found under folder “E-Government Participants”. The responses from Northern Gateway Pipeline Inc. are available under folder “B-Northern Gateway Pipelines Inc., as General Partner of the Northern Gateway Pipelines Limited Partnership”.
  
  
• On 6 December 2011, the Panel announced that the certain deadlines in the Hearing Order would be amended to accommodate the schedule for the community hearings. An amended Hearing Order will be released shortly.

Upcoming Participation Opportunities

...for Intervenors and Government Participants

• Written Evidence: The deadline to submit written evidence to the Panel is 22 December 2011, unless you have been granted additional time by the Panel.
  
  
• Community Hearings: The community hearings will begin on 10 January 2012, with the Panel hearing from Intervenors who have registered to provide oral evidence. More information on the community hearings is included below.

…for the Public and Aboriginal groups

• The community hearings will begin on 10 January 2012. More information on the community hearings is included below.
  
  
• If you missed the deadline to register to make an Oral Statement but you still have something to say to the Panel, you can submit a Letter of Comment. The Panel reads all Letters of Comment that it receives.

Did You Know...

From 27 September to 1 October 2011, the Panel viewed the majority of the proposed Project area, including the approaches to the Douglas Channel, by seaplane and helicopter. This is called “taking a view”. Taking a view allows the Panel to better understand the geography and physical features of the areas and communities that the proposed project would pass through. This in turn may help the Panel better understand the evidence it receives.


The Panel was unable to view the route from kilometre post 1091 to kilometre post 1176 during this trip due to poor weather. The Panel intends to return and view this segment of the pipeline route in the future. For a detailed list of the sites the Panel saw, please see the Panel's letter dated 31 October 2011 on the public registry at www.gatewaypanel.review.gc.ca.

Looking Ahead to the Ccommunity Hearing

• Community hearings are the first set of hearings which the Panel will hold.
• They provide an opportunity for those who have registered to share their knowledge, views or concerns about the Project directly to the Panel in person.
• Scheduled to start on 10 January 2012 in Kitimat, BC.
• The Panel will hear from Intervenors who are providing oral evidence first, and then at a later date will hear from those registered to provide oral statements.
• The Panel announced portions of the schedule for the community hearings on 6 December 2011. The Panel will announce the full schedule for the community hearings, including venues and dates, as soon as information becomes available.
• Anyone can attend these hearings as an observer or listen on the internet through the Panel's website at www.gatewaypanel.review.gc.ca.
• Procedural Direction #3 provides additional information regarding the process for the community hearings. You are encouraged to read this Procedural Direction if you are planning to participate in the community hearings. It can be found on the Panel's website at www.gatewaypanel.review.gc.ca, by clicking on the “Procedural Direction” link located under the “Documents” section on the right hand side of the page.

Estimated Hearing Schedule

The Panel will continue to release details regarding the schedule for the community hearings as they become known. In the meantime, the following information can be used to help you plan your participation in the joint review process:

This estimated schedule may change and is meant to be used only for planning purposes. Based on this projected schedule, the Panel would anticipate releasing the Environmental Assessment report in the fall of 2013 and its final decision on the project around the end of 2013. Please watch for future announcements from the Panel for confirmation and specific details regarding the next steps in the joint review process.

Upcoming Informations Sessions

The Process Advisory Team will be holding information sessions about the community hearings for oral statements. These information sessions will be held before oral statements are scheduled to be heard in any location. The information sessions will focus on explaining the public hearing process, what to expect at the community hearings, and tips for effective oral statements. Specific details regarding the dates, times and locations of these information sessions will be announced at a later date.

A member of the Panel Secretariat will also be in attendance at each of the community hearings to respond to questions regarding the joint review process.