DEH CHO - Two First Nations in the Deh Cho are negotiating agreements with the Canadian Zinc Corporation to ensure benefits such as employment, training and education if Prairie Creek Mine advances.

Representatives of the Canadian Zinc Corporation and Liidlii Kue First Nation met on Nov. 18 to officially begin negotiations towards an impact benefits agreement. Participants included, clockwise from left: Canadian Zinc's team of Chris Reeves, operations assistant, Joseph Lanzon, community and northern affairs advocate, and Wilbert Antoine, northern development manager, as well as Liidlii Kue First Nation's team of Glenna Hansen, consultant, Chief Jim Antoine, Gilbert Cazon, general manager of Nogha Enterprises Ltd., and Jack Williams, legal adviser. - photo courtesy of Canadian Zinc

On Nov. 18, Liidlii Kue First Nation (LKFN) joined the Nahanni Butte Dene Band as the second First Nation in the region to enter into negotiations with Canadian Zinc to reach an impact benefits agreement. While LKFN recognizes Nahanni Butte is the primary community affected by the Prairie Creek Mine, Fort Simpson will also be affected, said Chief Jim Antoine.

Reaching an impact benefits agreement is all about ensuring LKFN's membership will benefit from the mine, Antoine said.

"We're always looking for opportunities to create employment for our membership and also to gain experience and to try and accumulate a little bit of wealth," he said.

Trying to reach an agreement was one of the terms outlined in the memorandum of understanding LKFN signed with Canadian Zinc in 2008. If an agreement is reached it will be the first impact benefits agreement LKFN has made.

Antoine said he'd like to examine similar agreements in the North and in other territories and provinces, take the best examples and then raise the bar. Prairie Creek will be the first mine in a new era in the Deh Cho and as such this impact benefits agreement will be a starting point for all future ones in the region, he said.

"The first one should be the best one," said Antoine.

Prairie Creek is moving through the regulatory process and reaching an agreement is one way LKFN can start to prepare to capitalize on economic opportunities, he said.

LKFN wants the agreement to secure jobs and contract opportunities for its membership and its economic development arm Nogha Enterprises Ltd. instead of cash payments with no work attached. A lot of work has already been done on the number of jobs and the positions will be designated for LKFN, he said.

Antoine said an agreement could be reached within a year.

A signed agreement would signify LKFN's approval of the mine. The band council would have to approve any agreement and a meeting is being organized, possibly for the end of January, to ask the membership how they want to proceed, he said.

Environmental concerns, which have often been in the forefront with this project, are being addressed through the thorough Mackenzie Valley Impact Review Board's regulatory process, said Antoine.

While LKFN is just beginning its negotiations the Nahanni Butte Dene Band is nearing conclusion.

After more than a year of negotiations the Nahanni Butte impact benefits agreement has reached the final ratification stage.

The chief, council and membership of Nahanni Butte as well as Canadian Zinc's board of directors have to approve the agreement. Hopefully a signing will take

place early next year, said Alan Taylor, the company's chief operating officer.

Impact benefit agreements cover the socio-economic concerns related to the mine project. Canadian Zinc feels the communities closest to the mine should be benefiting through employment, training, education and related opportunities,

Taylor said. Having these agreements in place is also a prerequisite in the environmental assessment.

Prairie Creek is currently in an environmental assessment as part of the process to get the permits it needs to operate including a Type A water licence and three land use permits.

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