Northern answers to global issues
Inuvik Mayor Floyd Roland touts "appropriate" development for communities
Elaine Anselmi
Northern News Services
Published Monday, November 10, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Growing up in Inuvik, Mayor Floyd Roland saw the impact of oil and gas development first hand, as he told delegates at the Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum.
From his brother making a living as a welder in the industry to the outcome of the Berger Inquiry that saw a moratorium put on the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, Roland said the ups and downs were visible.
"You're community is thriving and growing and then it's like the tap turns off," Roland said. "The challenge I see is coming up with a development program that works for Northern communities and Northern people."
Speaking to the crowd of industry members from both Canada and the U.S., with a vested interest in Northern oil and gas, Roland emphasized the importance of development that is appropriately sized to the community it affects.
"We have to right-size projects to the economies of scale we live in," said Roland. "Our approach is to look at our homes in how we carry on."
Once a proponent of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, Roland said his focus has shifted. Among similar major projects in the North, he said the commonality is that they are competing with development internationally in China, Russia and elsewhere.
"We're not just working for ourselves, we're not just competing against other people in the Northwest Territories, we're not even just competing against projects in Canada," said Roland. "We're on a global scale now and those decisions keep getting made by corporations that are multinational."
Pointing to the early years of oil sands development, Roland said for NWT that time is now.
"We have to do something but we can't wait for the large multinational decision-makers to come and make that decision for us," he said. "We've done that, we've waited and we're continuing to wait."
With major projects dictating training requirements for workers, Roland said a challenge in the communities is getting those qualifications within a tight deadline.
The theme of the discussion was access to energy in communities and Roland's focus on self-sustainability was clear.
Also on the panel was Gene Therriault, deputy director of the Statewide Energy Policy Department with the Alaska Energy Authority, who spoke to the programs his state has developed to lessen the cost of energy in rural areas.
One area Therriault said they are looking at is renewables within the communities, in particular those that require minimal construction, such as helium balloon wind turbines.
In Inuvik, Roland said the high cost of heating while the community is surrounded by natural gas, is a perfect opportunity.
"I'm looking at a reserve, a well, that's been driven and proven to the Beaufort Delta area that can fuel the community for natural gas that can burn clean, instead of burning diesel, and reduce greenhouse gases and most importantly create long-term jobs to make our community sustainable," said Roland.
Also a part of the discussion, Ron Sumanik, director of oil and gas resources with the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources for the Yukon government, outlined the territory's "common regime" for regulating oil and gas exploration.
"All regulations are developed in concert with First Nations," said Sumanik.
"We know that oil and gas resources don't recognize political boundaries or land claims."
Therefore, Sumanik said the territory's regulations are all-encompassing, whether on government or First Nations land.
