EventAction
Metlakatla First Nation and Lax Kw'alaams Band file Federal Court challenges to the federal approval of Ksi Lisims LNG
In October 2025, the Metlakatla First Nation and the Lax Kw'alaams Band filed separate applications in Federal Court for judicial review of the federal environment minister's approval of the Ksi Lisims LNG facility and export terminal near Prince Rupert, B.C., The Canadian Press reported on 23 October 2025. According to the report, Metlakatla said the decision relied on "speculative economic concepts" and ignored "mounting evidence" that the project is not economically feasible. Lax Kw'alaams said the project threatens to displace its Aboriginal rights and title in "perpetuity." On 9 June 2026, both nations signed benefit agreements with Ksi Lisims LNG, whose lead developer is Houston-based Western LNG, and CBC News reported the same day that both had withdrawn their challenges. The release announcing the Lax Kw'alaams agreement, distributed by Western LNG, says the band withdrew its challenge as part of signing, and a Western LNG spokeswoman confirmed that Metlakatla had withdrawn its lawsuit.
- Date
- (known to the month)
- Kind
- Court ruling
- Where
- British Columbia
- Evidence
- Action: Something was done: a law switched on, a tariff imposed, money committed. How evidence is weighed
- Who
- Metlakatla First Nation (acted); Lax Kw'alaams Band (acted)
Articles that cite this record
Sources
- CBC News (The Canadian Press), “First Nations make legal challenges to huge Ksi Lisims LNG project in northwest B.C.” (external site), . source record
- CBC News, “2 First Nations in B.C. withdraw legal challenge of Ksi Lisims LNG project” (external site), . source record
Projects
Claims that rest on this event
- If everything planned is built, LNG export capacity roughly triples (from 14 to about 45 million tonnes a year), and LNG would carry about 40% of Canada's gas exports overseas. LNG Canada's Phase 2 took its final investment decision on 29 September 2026: two more trains, doubling the plant from 14 to 28 million tonnes a year, about C$33 billion, with operations expected in the early 2030s. Gas sent to the US by pipeline may dip from 8.6 to 8.0 billion cubic feet a day by 2027, but the journal's model still expects more gas to reach the US by the mid-2030s, because it assumes most gas for new LNG comes from new production.
Litigation risk against Ksi Lisims, the second big LNG project that depends on the new fast-track effort (the challenges were later withdrawn).
How it bears on the outcome
| Explanation | Fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| O0 No meaningful speed-up | Neutral weak | Court challenges to an approved LNG project are expected under every outcome reading, and both were later withdrawn; the filing does not tell the readings apart. |
| O1 Faster, but the extra output goes mostly elsewhere | Neutral weak | Court challenges to an approved LNG project are expected under every outcome reading, and both were later withdrawn; the filing does not tell the readings apart. |
| O2 Faster, and more volume reaches the US (this level or higher) | Neutral weak | Court challenges to an approved LNG project are expected under every outcome reading, and both were later withdrawn; the filing does not tell the readings apart. |
| O3 Locked-in preferential terms for the US | Neutral weak | Court challenges to an approved LNG project are expected under every outcome reading, and both were later withdrawn; the filing does not tell the readings apart. |
Corrections to this record
The benefit agreements were signed with Ksi Lisims LNG, not with Western LNG: the 2026-06-09 releases say 'Ksi Lisims LNG and the Metlakatla First Nation have signed a Benefits Agreement' and 'The Lax Kw'alaams Band has signed a Benefits Agreement with the Ksi Lisims LNG project'; Western LNG is the project's lead developer and distributed the releases (CBC News, 2026-06-09). The Lax Kw'alaams withdrawal is stated in that release.
- Summary
- was
In October 2025, the Metlakatla First Nation and the Lax Kw'alaams Band filed separate applications in Federal Court for judicial review of the federal environment minister's approval of the Ksi Lisims LNG facility and export terminal near Prince Rupert, B.C., The Canadian Press reported on 23 October 2025. According to the report, Metlakatla said the decision relied on "speculative economic concepts" and ignored "mounting evidence" that the project is not economically feasible. Lax Kw'alaams said the project threatens to displace its Aboriginal rights and title in "perpetuity." On 9 June 2026, CBC News reported that both nations had withdrawn their challenges after signing benefit agreements with the project's lead developer, Houston-based Western LNG. A Lax Kw'alaams news release said it had withdrawn its challenge, and a Western LNG spokeswoman confirmed that Metlakatla had withdrawn its lawsuit.nowIn October 2025, the Metlakatla First Nation and the Lax Kw'alaams Band filed separate applications in Federal Court for judicial review of the federal environment minister's approval of the Ksi Lisims LNG facility and export terminal near Prince Rupert, B.C., The Canadian Press reported on 23 October 2025. According to the report, Metlakatla said the decision relied on "speculative economic concepts" and ignored "mounting evidence" that the project is not economically feasible. Lax Kw'alaams said the project threatens to displace its Aboriginal rights and title in "perpetuity." On 9 June 2026, both nations signed benefit agreements with Ksi Lisims LNG, whose lead developer is Houston-based Western LNG, and CBC News reported the same day that both had withdrawn their challenges. The release announcing the Lax Kw'alaams agreement, distributed by Western LNG, says the band withdrew its challenge as part of signing, and a Western LNG spokeswoman confirmed that Metlakatla had withdrawn its lawsuit. - Summary fr
- was
En octobre 2025, la Première Nation de Metlakatla et la bande de Lax Kw'alaams ont déposé séparément devant la Cour fédérale des demandes de contrôle judiciaire de l'approbation, par le ministre fédéral de l'Environnement, de l'installation de GNL et du terminal d'exportation Ksi Lisims LNG près de Prince Rupert, en Colombie-Britannique, a rapporté La Presse Canadienne le 23 octobre 2025. Selon l'article, Metlakatla affirmait que la décision reposait sur des « concepts économiques spéculatifs » et faisait abstraction des « preuves de plus en plus nombreuses » que le projet n'est pas économiquement viable. Lax Kw'alaams affirmait que le projet menace de supplanter « à perpétuité » ses droits et son titre ancestraux. Le 9 juin 2026, CBC News a rapporté que les deux nations avaient retiré leurs contestations après avoir signé des ententes sur les retombées avec le principal promoteur du projet, Western LNG, établie à Houston. Un communiqué de Lax Kw'alaams indiquait qu'elle avait retiré sa contestation, et une porte-parole de Western LNG a confirmé que Metlakatla avait retiré sa poursuite.nowEn octobre 2025, la Première Nation de Metlakatla et la bande de Lax Kw'alaams ont déposé séparément devant la Cour fédérale des demandes de contrôle judiciaire de l'approbation, par le ministre fédéral de l'Environnement, de l'installation de GNL et du terminal d'exportation Ksi Lisims LNG près de Prince Rupert, en Colombie-Britannique, a rapporté La Presse Canadienne le 23 octobre 2025. Selon l'article, Metlakatla affirmait que la décision reposait sur des « concepts économiques spéculatifs » et faisait abstraction des « preuves de plus en plus nombreuses » que le projet n'est pas économiquement viable. Lax Kw'alaams affirmait que le projet menace de supplanter « à perpétuité » ses droits et son titre ancestraux. Le 9 juin 2026, les deux nations ont signé des ententes sur les retombées avec Ksi Lisims LNG, dont le principal promoteur est Western LNG, établie à Houston, et CBC News a rapporté le jour même qu'elles avaient retiré leurs contestations. Le communiqué annonçant l'entente de Lax Kw'alaams, diffusé par Western LNG, indique que la bande a retiré sa contestation dans le cadre de la signature, et une porte-parole de Western LNG a confirmé que Metlakatla avait retiré sa poursuite.