Despite protest blockades and the Covid-19 pandemic, work is nearly one-third finished on the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline project across northern British Columbia (BC) for the LNG Canada export terminal on the Pacific coast, according to TC Energy Corp.

The C$6.6 billion ($5 billion) BC pipeline project is 31% finished, TC Energy said. The completion target remains 2023.

Northern community participation and support from elected chiefs and councils of all 20 tribes along the CGL route helped the project stay on the rails while BC, Ontario and Quebec protesters staged railway barricades, marches and sit-ins earlier this year.

At an annual investor day Tuesday, TC Energy Canadian pipelines chief Tracy Robinson said CGL has awarded 184 contracts to 84 native businesses and...