The government panel in charge of reviewing the Enbridge pipeline project announced last week that it will be holding public information meetings in a number of different communities, one of which will take place in Prince Rupert.
No date has been set for any of the meetings at this point, and no venues have been booked. But according to representatives of the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project Joint Review Panel, the goal is to have all 15 different meetings completed within the next two months.
The meeting in Prince Rupert is not meant to be an opportunity for people to express their opinions on the pipeline, and no members of the panel will be present. Instead, it will be a public information session on how to have your opinion heard by the panel when it formally begins public hearing on January 10, 2012.
The meetings will explain in detail the three different ways a member of the public say their piece to the panel. The easiest way is by submitting a letter of comment, where someone can simply write out their opinion and panel members will eventually read it and factor it in to their considerations.
The second way is to give an oral statement; this can be done in front of the panel in person or over the phone and can be no longer than 10 minutes.
According to panel representatives there will be no limit on the number of oral statements given during the hearings.
If someone wants to question the panel directly or submit evidence for consideration by panel members, they will have to become an intervener during the hearing process, something that it much more complicated and involved than the other two options.