First Nations’ initiative calls for action on $60b in projects to ‘drive growth, deliver on climate goals, support Indigenous leaders’

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The First Nations Climate Initiative (FNCI) is calling for more flexibility in federal government actions to further its goals, and assist in developing more than $60 billion in projects to drive economic growth, deliver on climate goals and support Indigenous leadership.

The FNCI is described as an Indigenous-led initiative committed to “fostering resilient communities through strategic climate action, alleviating First Nations’ poverty, restoring ecosystems in First Nations’ traditional territories and enabling Indigenous people to be leading actors in the decarbonized economy,” according to its website.

The organization is led by several First Nations in northern B.C., including Halfway River First Nation in Wonowon. The others are Haisla Nation, the Metlakatla Nation and the Nisga’a Lisims Government.

Alex Grzybowski, a facilitator with FNCI, said as all projects – including the Cedar liquified natural gas (LNG) project by Haisla and South Kaien Logistics Park by Metlakatla Nation – are developed, the FNCI “has the concern that many people have for what’s going on with climate change and how to mitigate it.”

“The initiative started off with the investigation of learning about climate change,” said Grzybowski. “[By] increasing fluency and then ultimately thinking ‘what are the sort of policy directions that could be taken by the federal and provincial governments that would enable them to develop projects in a manner that would alleviate poverty in [the] communities, and achieve economic self determination while also mitigating climate change.”

A press release said FNCI seeks federal government actions to assist in developing more than $60 billion in projects that it says will “drive Canada’s growth, create jobs and strengthen long-term competitiveness” while simultaneously “delivering on climate goals and supporting Indigenous leadership.”

They include the expansion of clean economy investment tax credits; investment in the development of low-carbon technologies; enabling of Indigenous-led offsets for climate obligations; creation of Atmospheric Benefit Sharing Agreements; and activation of Canada–Asia decarbonization pathways through climate-aligned export policies.

In particular, the North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL) from Prince George to the coast of B.C. is crucial as, according to Grzybowski, that’s “where the export is.”

“That’s where we have the kind of most limited supply of energy where we need it the most,” said Grzybowski. “We’ve spent a lot of time advocating for the North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL) to be a priority. We’re actively involved in negotiating co-ownership agreements between First Nations, B.C. Hydro and the provincial government.”

Grzybowski highlighted the importance of developing low-carbon technologies to become decarbonized, including methane pyrolysis, the process of breaking down natural gas.

“Instead of burning it, you can break the molecule into its constituent parts, being carbon and hydrogen,” said Grzybowski. “When you do it with methane pyrolysis, you get solid carbon and hydrogen.”

These can be used as a “feedstock” for various purposes, including fuel, ammonia or methanol.  

“Instead of using natural gas as a fuel, you’re using it as feedstock,” said Grzybowski. “[But] you’re still utilizing all of the same infrastructure that you would normally use to transport natural gas.”

Ultimately, the FNCI would like to work with countries across the Pacific, including Japan and Korea, to benefit from both the Japanese power grid and the Korean steel industry.

Grzybowski says Japan is actively seeking to use LNG from Canada to decarbonize its industrial systems, including power generation via methane pyrolysis.

“Japan is interested in using ammonia as a fuel to cut coal,” said Grzybowski.  “So you can mix ammonia in with coal and reduce the carbon footprint of the coal when you burn. 

“They could manufacture the ammonia in Japan [but] rather than importing it as ammonia from Canada, [importing] LNG from Canada and manufacturing ammonia right there using methane pyrolysis.”

With Bill C-5 to fast-track infrastructure energy projects in the approval process with the federal government, the FNCI would like to see an investment tax credit for intra-provincial LNG transmission lines, which Grzybowski calls a “good idea.”

He said the partners of NCTL, which include the province, B.C. Hydro and First Nations communities, are investing $4 billion. Grzybowski estimates a 15 per cent tax credit would return some $600 million to those communities.

For more information about FNCI and its objectives, visit the FNCI’s website.