Fort Good Hope (Feb 13/06) - Saying they won't be "bullied" by Imperial Oil to rushing into a deal, residents rejected a proposed access and benefits agreement for the Mackenzie Gas Project.

Stephen Kakfwi says the deal was "not good enough." " -

A breakdown of the Feb. 8 vote wasn't released, and resident Thomas Manuel said most people didn't know enough to accept the proposal.

"A lot of my people are confused," Thomas said. "They don't know what they are agreeing to."

Thomas said community leaders must work harder to inform the community on what exactly the agreement entails.

"The result of the vote was not a rejection, but a vote to defer the decision for another two months."

Former premier Stephen Kakfwi, who has advised the community on pipeline issues, said the deal was "not good enough" and accused Imperial Oil of trying to scare the community into accepting the agreement.

"There is no magical timeline, there are bullies all over the world, and Imperial is trying to bully us into making a decision," Kakfwi said.

In a letter sent to K'ahsho Got'ine District Land Corp. in mid-January, Imperial said it would seek "alternatives under the Land Claim Agreement to secure access to the land if the agreements we negotiated are not ratified."

Company spokesperson Pius Rolheiser said that could include the expropriation of land.

"This is not our preference. The company wants a negotiated and ratified agreement," said Rolheiser.

"We wanted to convey a sense of urgency, this is important work and the company wants to get on with it."

He said because Imperial doesn't know how many people voted for and against the access deal, it doesn't know how to proceed.

"We need to understand the message the community is sending," Rolheiser said.

Kakfwi continues to promote the idea of a one per cent tax on the pipeline as a way to generate ongoing revenue for the community. For Fort Good Hope and Colville Lake, he said that could add up to $8 million a year.

"We are advancing the notion of collecting a share of revenue for aboriginal government to invest in the future," Kakfwi said.

The money would go to offset social impacts of the pipeline, construct recreation facilities for youth, and build infrastructure projects like roads, said Kakfwi.

With the agreement in Fort Good Hope rejected, Imperial is looking ahead to a Feb. 15 vote in Colville Lake as an important test, said Rolheiser.