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“On December 31, the Supreme Court of B.C. made a determination and its ruling confirmed the company is lawfully permitted to conduct their work,” read the statement.

“Construction activities have been taking place across northern B.C. for the last year, and it’s the provincial government’s role to ensure this work is in line with regulatory and legislative obligations. Any enforcement considerations related to the court’s ruling is an operational matter for the police to consider, independent of government.”

Coastal GasLink, the company behind the 670-kilometre, $6.6-billion, natural gas pipeline from Dawson Creek to LNG Canada in Kitimat, vowed in a statement Monday to “remobilize construction crews … in anticipation of work resumption and ramp up this week.”

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That sets the stage for another clash between police and representatives of hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en nation that insist they have not given permission for the pipeline on their unceded traditional territories.

The hereditary chiefs were meeting Monday and could not be immediately reached for comment, but a news conference was scheduled for Tuesday in Smithers to mark the first anniversary of arrests at the Wet’suwet’en camp known as Gidimt’en.

The Gidimt’en camp is one of two long-standing Wet’suwet’en locations occupied by people opposed to the pipeline. The Unist’ot’en camp, also along the pipeline route, was first set up a decade ago.