“We understand the need for the Panel to complete a full and fair review of the evidence, but today is another low-point among many,” said Ann Marie Tout, President of NWT Chamber of Commerce. “The JRP should have been given the resources it needed to accomplish its important mandate in a timely fashion from the outset when it was created in 2004.”

 

Members of the JRP were appointed in August 2004 and received the Environmental Impact Statement from the proponents in October 2004. More than five years will have passed once this report is released, she added.

 

“Under the terms of the original JRP Agreement, the hearings and final report were scheduled to take 10 months to complete,” said Tout.

 

Many Northern businesses are heavily invested in a future that includes the pipeline. At the same time, countless residents have completed training courses allowing them to work on the $16.2 billion mega-project if and when it goes ahead, she added.

 

“Everyone is stuck in purgatory for another year due to the poor planning and lack of accountability attached to the JRP process back in 2004,” said Tout. “With every year that passes we seem to be getting further away from actually seeing a report."