Yellowknife (Mar 14/03) - Assessing the impact of the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline project will require an involved look at ecological and social impacts, according to two consultants.

Jeff Green, vice-president of Axys Environmental consultants, and Al Kennedy, a manager of environmental assessments for Imperial Oil, gave a presentation on the pipeline recently. The two addressed a crowd of about 80 people at the Environmental Impact Assessment and Transportation Conference in Yellowknife.

"Northerners are in the unfortunate position of being the most consulted people in Canada," said Green. "They constantly have people like me stomping through their community, asking for input and feedback. That's why we have to really take some time and do this right."

Green, one of 180 consultants looking at the pipeline's impact over two years, said that some perceived benefits of the project also bring risks.

"Increased wages allow better snowmobiles and rifles, and better access to caribou and huntable resources," he said.

"The economic changes involved in moving from a traditional system to a wage-based system can destroy family systems."

Green said another challenge would be to incorporate traditional knowledge of the land with scientific study.

Consultants have set up offices in communities along the Mackenzie Delta and are employing local people to act as on-the-ground consultants.

"That way consultations are ongoing," said Kennedy. "The people in these community know who the pipeline people are and will stop them on the street to talk about it."

Kennedy said consultations workshops so far have been reasonably successful, depending on the community.

"We see anything from a full room to just a few people showing up," he said.

The consultants said if the project goes ahead, they hope the pipeline will be active by 2008 and will tap 25 years worth of reserves.

The conference was the first of its kind. Organizers said they hope it becomes an annual event. The conference covered issues related to environmental impact assessment with transportation issues in the North and across Canada. Eighty people attended the event from across the North and other points such as Labrador, Calgary and Ottawa.