VICTORIA - Another Northern Gateway pipeline equity-sharing deal with a B-C First Nation may be in jeopardy.
Chief Henry Joseph of the Prince George-area Yekooche (Ye-KOO-che) says he's called in lawyers to review the deal that the previous chief and council signed with Calgary-based Enbridge.
Enbridge says it now has equity deals with 20 of a possible 43 First Nations, giving them a 10 per cent stake in the proposed 5.5 billion dollar pipeline.
However, the Canadian Press contacted the B-C First Nations along the pipeline route from Alberta to the B-C coast and only one confirmed signing on with Enbridge.
Some others said they were interested, but most were firmly opposed to the project.
The Gitxsan (Git-saan) of northwest B-C voted last month to dump a deal with Enbridge.
Burns Lake Chief Al Gerow says his struggling community could use the seven million dollars Enbridge is offering, but there are widespread concerns of an environmental disaster.
Coastal First Nations executive director Art Sterritt says B-C First Nations who've signed deals are taking advantage of business opportunities, but that doesn't mean they support the pipeline.
He says some First Nations may be signing because they feel Prime Minister Harper is going to ram the project through despite all opposition.
© The Canadian Press, 2012