Liquified Natural Gas Fact Sheet
2013
This Northwest Institute publication provides an overview of the Liquified Natural Gas development process and the LNG projects currently proposed in British Columbia.
Documenting the Enbridge Joint Review Panel Hearings
2012
If built, the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline would carry diluted bitumen from the Alberta oil sands westward to a new tanker port at Kitimat, and carry condensate (a bitumen diluent) eastward to Alberta. The issue is of critical concern to Northwest British Columbians and people from across Canada. Currently, the proposed project is being reviewed by a Joint Review Panel headed by the National Energy Board. The panel is traveling throughout Northwest B.C. and elsewhere in B.C. and Alberta to hear from citizens on the matter. The Northwest Institute has been documenting the hearings and will continue to do so through to the end of the Joint Review process.
To read summaries of the statements delivered at the hearings, visit our Enbridge Joint Review Panel page.
Potential Effects of an Oil Pipeline Rupture on Reach 2 of Morice River
2012
This submission focuses on a portion of the pipeline route that is located adjacent to Morice River, 70 km south of Smithers. Within this area, Morice River has formed a wide floodplain that contains numerous active secondary channels, log jams and wetlands that comprise the core spawning and rearing habitat for Morice River fish populations. Schwab (2011) indicates that slope instability in this area has the potential to rupture the proposed pipelines. This report examines the implications of a pipeline rupture and subsequent clean-up efforts to river processes, fish and fish habitat.
Analysis of Skeena River Tributaries Downstream from the Proposed Enbridge Pipeline
2011
Jack A. Stanford, and Diane C. Whited were contracted by the Northwest Institute for Bioregional Research (Smithers, BC) to use existing databases to produce a series of maps describing the geomorphology of tributaries of the Skeena River, British Columbia that will be crossed by the proposed Enbridge pipeline. The objective was to develop and map metrics that delineate the areas of the Skeena River and its tributaries most vulnerable to potential pipeline spills associated with the proposed Enbridge corridor to Kitimat, BC. The analysis was based on the likely scenario that a spill would result in petrochemicals being carried downstream and distributed in the channels in relation to the geomorphology.
Comparison of the British Columbia and Federal Environmental Assessments for the Prosperity Mine
2011
This 2011 report, written by environmental lawyer Mark Haddock, concludes that the BC Environmental Assessment Office's (EAO) recommendation to approve Taseko Mines' proposed Prosperity Mine in B.C.'s west Chilcotin region was based on incomplete evidence and was the result of a hurried, flawed and less than objective process conducted by the agency.
Enbridge Joint Review Panel Workshop
2010
A workshop organized by the Northwest Institute to familiarize the community with aspects of the Joint Review Panel process.
Environmental Assessment Workshop - Smithers, BC
2009
The Northwest Institute organized a 2009 workshop in Smithers on the Environmental Assessment Process.
Tony Pearce CEAA Presentation (400kb PDF)
Susan Rutherford EA Presentation (14Mb PDF)
Valuation of the Wild Salmon Economy of the Skeena Watershed
2006
The Northwest Institute commissioned IBM Business Consulting to conduct a valuation of the wild Salmon economy of the Skeena River Watershed. Their report estimates that the wild Salmon economy of the Skeena River can be valued at approximately $109,987,0001 based on a 2004 base year and 4-year average revenue or revenue-equivalents.
Download March 30, 2006 Media Release (PDF)
Community Futures and Choices in the Bulkley Valley
2001
This paper raises questions about the economic future of the Bulkley Valley using the proposed Telkwa Coal Project as the point of departure for its discussion into the economic prospects, choices and trade-offs that face all of the residents of the region as they opt for one set of economic opportunities over another, and one path of development over others.
Status of Salmon Spawning Stocks of the Skeena River System
2000
This report is part of a review of the status and prospects for Skeena salmon stocks and the fisheries they support.
Mushroom Project II
1999
Pine mushroom harvesting in northwestern B.C. is a growing economic activity, but it is unregulated and poorly documented. Often it conflicts with industrial forestry. This mushroom project has provided information on the distribution and habitat requirements of pine mushrooms in the Skeena-Bulkley Region and helped foster cooperation among stakeholders.
Mushroom Project
1998
Our first report on pine mushrooms review community issues and concerns around the sustainability of the resource within current land use planning in the Skeena-Bulkley Region, and consider the economic and social impact of the annual pine mushroom harvest on local communities, including First Nations' peoples.
Earlier Reports
- Technical Analysis of Proposed Tulsequah Chief Mine, November 1997
- An Evaluation of Wildlife Research Related to the Proposed Tulsequah Chief Mine, October 1997
- Preliminary Avalanche Assessment of the Proposed Tulsequah Road, October 1997 Telkwa Coal Project Analysis, May 1999
- Ecological Description and Classification of Highly Productive Pine Mushroom Sites in Northwestern British Columbia, January 1999
- Pine Mushrooms and Timber Production in the Cranberry Timber Supply Area, February 1999
- Studies of the Pine Mushroom in the Skeena -Bulkley Region, June 1999 Status of Salmon Spawning Stocks of the Skeena River System, June 2000
- Community Futures and Choices in the Bulkley Valley, January 2001
- Roads and the Industrialization of Northern British Columbia, May 2003