Derek Neary
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 10/99) - Oil and gas development will likely be a reality in Fort Providence some day.

For that reason, the community has been in the process of establishing an oil and gas management plan.

A steering committee, which includes representatives from local Dene, Metis and municipal governments as well as elders, has been meeting periodically over the past year and last met in August.

Michael McLeod, the mayor of Fort Providence, said the committee hopes to have protected areas such as hunting and fishing grounds and burial sites mapped out before oil and gas activity get under way. As well, the possible terms and timelines regarding industry are being examined.

"People in the community don't want to see a boom and bust situation. It has to be sustainable," McLeod said, adding that it will ultimately be the residents of Fort Providence who decide whether oil and gas activity gets the go-ahead.

Members of the Fort Providence steering committee will attend an industry conference in Calgary during the second week of October. Deh Gah Gotie Chief Greg Nyuli said that conference should give some insight into what terms and conditions can be met by industry.

"We're looking forward to that. We should be tabling our pre-bid qualifications at that particular meeting," he said.

As another preliminary step, Nyuli said the community has submitted a letter of intent to enter into a joint venture with Shehtah Drilling, a Dene-owned company.

Although there haven't yet been any face-to-face talks with oil and gas companies, the committee is aware of interest from the Canadian Petroleum Producers Association, he noted. Because of the community's geographical situation the indicators of oil and gas deposits are promising, according to McLeod.

"People in the industry seem to think it's got the potential," he said. "We're still in the scoping out stage. We haven't made a decision either way. Right now it's an education process. We're trying to learn what it's all about, what's involved," said McLeod, who added that there's a commitment in Fort Providence to work with all levels of government and industry.

There's also a keen interest in what other communities in the region have in mind, he said.

"We're hoping to have a lot more discussion with communities like Liard, Nahanni Butte, the (Hay River) Reserve, Kakisa and Trout Lake about what they're doing," he said. "We want to keep an open dialogue."

The oil and gas industry is just one aspect of an integrated resource management plan the community is creating, McLeod noted. Overall, the oil and gas management plan is expected to dovetail with the Deh Cho First Nations' resource management plan, he acknowledged.

"Our goal is to set up a document so that the rules are clear," he said.