Hamilton’s Dofasco has a goal to be coal-free by 2028 — but meeting that goal means adding natural gas pipelines possibly coming through Flamborough — and a concerned Indigenous group says they are not giving their consent.
The Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) represents the interests of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council in construction projects on their treaty lands.
Those lands, under the Nanfan Treaty, cover most of southern Ontario and include Hamilton and Flamborough.
HDI is calling for work on the Hamilton Reinforcement Project, which would shift the steel mills in the city’s east end from coal to natural gas, to halt until gas company Enbridge comes to the table with them.
HDI lawyer Aaron Detlor spoke for the group to FlamboroughToday.
“We've asked them for time frames and timelines and how engagement is supposed to occur and we haven't received anything back from them as of yet,” he said.
Some Hamilton news outlets have reported that the Reinforcement Project has already fallen far behind its timeline, missing major goal points.
Detlor said HDI has not heard from Enbridge about whether the company has filed pre-applications with the Ontario Energy Board in order to get work underway.
“The requirements that the Ontario Energy Board has set up for this type of project require Enbridge to provide reasonable funding for our participation in the entirety of the process. I can certainly confirm that Enbridge has not done that as of yet,” Detlor said.
Enbridge did not provide FlamboroughToday with information on the Hamilton Reinforcement Project’s timeline. The company’s website says it plans to begin pipeline construction in the City of Hamilton in early 2025, and that construction will end in late 2025.
The website does not include information on where this pipeline will be built, and with a little over three months left of the year, this deadline is fast approaching.
Detlor says there has been “no clear communication” between HDI and Enbridge about the construction.
Enbridge representative Gina Sutherland wrote in an email, “Enbridge respects the historical and existing treaty rights of Indigenous groups and works with them to advance reconciliation in our operating regions.”
HDI asks for fair compensation for Line 11
Detlor said HDI also has issues with the Enbridge's Line 11 project, which has been operational for several years. Line 11 runs from Nanticoke, to Westover, in Flamborough.
“They're generating something in the range of almost $3 billion a year in gross revenue from this project,” Detlor said, adding what HDI is asking for is relatively small in comparison.
By treaty rights, which are protected by Section 35 of the Constitution Act, Detlor said Line 11 is on Haudenosaunee lands and the Haudenosaunee people see no benefits from the line, despite it pulling in large profits for Enbridge.
“We don't believe that's fair or reasonable,” Detlor said.
“Engagement on the Line 11 and Hamilton Reinforcement projects is ongoing and will continue until both projects are completed,” Sutherland wrote, adding that the company is committed to continuing a dialogue “based on mutual understanding and respect.”
