Mi’gmaq chiefs say gas plant can’t proceed without Indigenous-led impact assessment

The chiefs of the nine Mi’gmaq First Nations in New Brunswick say the proposed 500 MW gas plant on the Chignecto Isthmus can’t go ahead until it undergoes a rigorous, Mi’gmaq-led, rights impact assessment.

In a news release, the chiefs of Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn Inc. say that consent for the project can only be granted if “Mi’gmaq concerns are meaningfully addressed and impacts on rights are avoided, minimized, and accommodated.”

Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn Inc. (MTI) is the non-profit organization that represents Mi’gmaq communities in the province.

The chiefs say they acknowledge that New Brunswick has growing energy needs and they recognize the importance of integrating more renewable power on the grid. But they add that “critical issues” need to be dealt with before the PROENERGY gas/diesel plant can proceed.

“The proposed development is located in an area of cultural significance to the Mi’gmaq, where activities and land use extend well beyond community boundaries,” the news release notes.

“There are potential implications for Mi’gmaq harvesting, access to ancestral areas, and the health of local ecosystems. Concerns have also been raised about possible impacts to water quality, wetlands, and species that hold both ecological and cultural importance.”

‘Thorough’ review

The release adds that a “thorough, Migmaq-led review” will require the U.S. company “to address deficiencies, to complete all the necessary studies, and work with MTI to avoid, mitigate, and accommodate impacts to Mi’gmaq rights, culture and the environment.”

The chiefs also say that they haven’t made any decision on whether to invest in the project.

Slides displayed at two PROENERGY open houses last week claimed that the North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council supported the project as a minority equity partner and that the gas plant would be co-owned by the Tribal Council and PROENERGY.

The company also makes those claims in a document it filed with the federal Impact Assessment Agency of Canada.

Land claims

Last summer, eight of the chiefs in the Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn organization went to court seeking a declaration of Aboriginal title to more than half of the land in New Brunswick including the 550 acres that PROENERGY would need for its gas plant.

In 2016, Elsipogtog First Nation filed its own claim for Aboriginal title to all of southeastern New Brunswick.

Bruce Wark worked in broadcasting and journalism education for more than 35 years. He was at CBC Radio for nearly 20 years as senior editor of network programs such as The World at Six and World Report. He currently writes for The New Wark Times, where a version of this story first appeared on August 18, 2025.