With the Prime Minister open to Indigenous groups having 100 per cent equity in the Trans Mountain pipeline, the Chief of the Whispering Pines First Nation is waiting to see what that would look like.

Mike LeBourdais is hoping for more discussions with other First Nations not along the pipeline right of way who want a stake in Trans Mountain.

“They think that there’s a business case for this despite of what some people are saying,” said LeBourdais. “And so they want to participate in you know Canadian infrastructure projects so that they can have their own quality of life.

“Our group generally is made up of the folks that the right of way passes through our traditional territories and/or our reserves. There’s this sense and this recognition by I think Minister [Amarjeet] Sohi, wrote in one of his letters that the impacted First Nations should have a little more of a say on environment oversight and equity.”

He notes groups like his want to have a say in the environmental oversight, while also reaping the benefits.

“The bands in the Fraser Valley, they want to take the resources from owning equity and reinvest that into salmon spawning ground habitat. and so those are the kinds of things they want to do with the equity that they are going to get out of this pipeline. It’s exciting for them.”

LeBourdais is also hoping to see construction on the pipeline underway by September, but previous said he doesn’t think any potential sale of the pipeline won’t happen for at least two years.