Our newsletter: 17 July 2025
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Alliance chair Crystal Smith celebrated
Chief Councillor Crystal Smith of the Haisla Nation was honoured with a blanket ceremony after she attended her last First Nations Natural Gas Alliance board meeting as Alliance chair, on July 11.
Amng those paying tribute to her was Karen Ogen, CEO of our Alliance: “Today we will acknowledge, celebrate, and remind ourselves of the good work our friend has done not only for the Haisla, but for the northern communities of BC, for Canada and internationally, for all women, and specifically for the Indigenous women in leadership.
“Crystal has helped us to flip the script for Indigenous Women. She is one of the many Indigenous women in leadership that is making history and changing the landscape for our people and especially our Indigenous women. . . .
“Chief Crystal and her council have championed the LNG sector in Canada. They broke glass ceilings for Indigenous people in Canada to own the infrastructure on our lands.”
Chief Crystal’s term as chair of the Alliance ends in September. She became chair of the Alliance in November 2019, succeeding the founding chair, Chief Dan George.
Smith also announced a month ago her decision not to seek re-election as chief councillor for her Nation. As she heads for a new adventure (details TBA) she said: “This is not goodbye — just see you later.”
The photo above is from Joe Bevan, CEO of Gitga’at Economic Development Corporation and a former director of the Alliance. At Chief Crystal’s left is Jackie Thomas, an elected councillor of the Saikuz First Nation and a director of the Alliance.
And below is a group photo from Stewart Muir, CEO of Resource Works and a long-time friend of the Alliance. He paid tribute to Chief Crystal, and to Alliance CEO Karen Ogen:
“These two extraordinary women have shown what principled, strategic, values-driven leadership looks like — not just for First Nations communities, not just for energy, but for Canada. Their work is reshaping who sits at the table, how decisions get made, and what shared prosperity truly means. . . . Their vision will echo for generations.”
From left: Jackie Thomas, Saikuz Nation; Jade Irwin, Skin Tyee Nation, Alliance secretary; Chief Crystal; Karen Ogen; Bernadine Coleman, Ochiese Nation in Alberta; Deanna Lewis, Squamish Nation; Kim Baird, Tsawwassen Nation; Heather Nooski, Wet’suwet’en Nation; Stewart Muir.
Crystal Smith with Alliance CEO Karen Ogen (right)
In a special tribute to Crystal Smith, Alliance CEO Karen Ogen called her a leader, a builder and a champion. Read the full tribute here: https://ow.ly/h4gn50WpPUj
Crystal Smith did not seek re-election as chief councillor of the Haisla Nation in the Haisla vote on July 14. The new chief councillor is Maureen Nyce, former deputy chief councillor: https://ow.ly/zfV150WpQag
Indigenous priorities for LNG?
Alliance CEO Karen Ogen is featured in the latest LNG Industry (North America) magazine:
“The emphasis on economic support from gas and LNG development is no surprise. In 2021 (the latest analysis available) Canada and its standard of living ranked sixth in the world according to the UN Human Development Index, compared to Canada’s 1.87 million Indigenous people, who ranked 63rd.”
And: “First Nations want to be owners — as equity partners and through other forms of participation that help build self-sufficiency.”
- See pages 33-36 at https://ow.ly/cm4F50WlO4K
Also from the Alliance:
Fast track or fast Indigenous challenges for resource projects?
Prime Minister Mark Carney says he will meet First Nations, Inuit leaders and Métis leadership in a spirit of “consultation, co-operation and engagement” as he decides which resource projects will be fast-tracked by his government.
But his new fast-track law has met with mixed reviews from politicians, business leaders, and environmental groups — and from Indigenous leaders.
- Our blog: https://ow.ly/1Qy950WmZfm
Crystal Smith and Eva Clayton (vice-chair of our Alliance) on the First Nations Climate Initiative: Indigenous natural-resources development is an efficient, fair, and responsible way to advance economic reconciliation.
“We are firmly of the view that clean electricity development in British Columbia and the development of natural gas and clean fuel supply chains to support trading partners in Asia is the path forward.”
- Read it in The Hub Canada: https://t.co/MOqHNYge9q
Alliance CEO Karen Ogen has, for the fifth time, been named by Business in Vancouver as one of 500 influential business leaders in BC. The story, though, is for BIV subscribers only: https://ow.ly/uirC50WpbLk
First Nations and clean energy
- Ottawa supports 13 Indigenous-led clean-energy projects through the Low Carbon Economy Fund’s Indigenous Leadership Fund: https://ow.ly/lTpa50WmrRE
- Indigenous partnership cuts methane emissions in the Montney natural-gas play: https://ow.ly/U5Uy50Wl1Zh (Photo above)
- Metlakatla and Lax Kw’alaams First Nations in BC pursue an offshore wind farm in Hecate Strait: https://ow.ly/J1Ey50Wnjpo
- Westbank First Nation and Innergex sign electricity-purchase agreement with BC Hydro for the K2 Wind Project: https://ow.ly/9G8u50WoT7a
- Geothermal hopes soar high in Canada’s Indigenous communities: https://ow.ly/PzON50WoT8I
- Manitoba Wind Energy Indigenous Equity Summit recognizes the critical role of Indigenous engagement in energy transition: https://ow.ly/YBJ450WoT9T
- Canada’s first Indigenous nuclear operator will ‘give back the wisdom.’ https://ow.ly/GABZ50WoTaR
- ERM Consultants Canada forms Ka∙kin Environmental Consultants with Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it Nation (formerly known as the Tobacco Plains Indian Band): https://ow.ly/Y40C50Wpebq
ALSO IN THE NEWS
- The Haisla Nation’s Cedar LNG project has put the first pipe in the ground for the pipeline to feed it natural gas: https://ow.ly/9hcQ50Woiiu
- Canada can become an LNG powerhouse, but it will take innovation and determination.— Chris Cooper, CEO of LNG Canada: https://ow.ly/a8vP50WmE17
- The BC Environmental Assessment Office OKs a pipeline terminus option for the Nisga’a Nation’s proposed Ksi Lisims LNG facility: https://ow.ly/r8hL50Wl5I5
- BC LNG is crucial to new Canadian trade negotiations in Southeast Asia: ly/IFFt50Wo6aU
- Canada has some natural advantages in the global LNG market: https://ow.ly/aV3n50Wn1Lv
EVENTS
- RBN Energy’s School of Energy Canada, Aug. 26-27, Calgary: https://ow.ly/ebPW50Vy9LO
- Assembly of First Nations, annual general assembly, Sept. 3-5, Winnipeg: https://ow.ly/nhVK50WbQXY
- National Coalition of Chiefs, Energy and Natural Resource Summit, Sept. 18-19, Calgary: https://ow.ly/kt8a50Wl6fM
- Greater Vancouver Board of Trade’s annual Indigenous Opportunities Forum, Oct. 2, Vancouver: https://ow.ly/WTWt50WaVJ5
- Canadian Council for Indigenous Business, Indigenous Forum and PAIR awards, Oct. 8, Vancouver: https://ow.ly/o1lf50WlJGY
- Canadian Council for Indigenous Business, West Coast Business Forum and awards dinner, Oct. 9, Vancouver: https://ow.ly/o1lf50WlJGY
- Ninth annual Nation2Nation forum, Oct. 21-23, Kitimat BC: https://ow.ly/LvkJ50VYq07
- Canadian Gas Association, Energy Nexus and Annual Technical Conference, Calgary, Oct. 27–30: https://ow.ly/H5kt50WlEgR
- Spark Indigenous Energy Summit, Nov. 5-6, Calgary: https://ow.ly/2B5E50Wgj11
- Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase, Nov. 13, Vancouver: https://ow.ly/l3O650Wj25v
- Canadian Council for Indigenous Business, Indigenous Procurement Event, Nov. 26, Winnipeg: https://ow.ly/bVJy50WlJkb
2026
- The BC Natural Resources Forum, Jan. 20-22, Prince George: https://ow.ly/71Y250Wj0zL
- Canadian Gas Association, CGA Energy Security Summit, March 10-11, Ottawa: https://ow.ly/6FLp50VQu0N
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(Posted here 20 July 2025)
