Aboriginal pipeline delegates plan to make their case
Northern News Services
Fort Simpson (Apr 20/01) - Aboriginal Pipeline Group delegates were in Ottawa this week to hold Prime Minister Jean Chretien to his word.
Chretien recently stated that Canada's North will be targeted for oil and gas development. Members of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group (APG) wanted to make sure chief politicians and senior bureaucrats understand what it will take to make a Mackenzie Valley pipeline a reality.
They expected to meet with officials from DIAND, Natural Resources Canada and the Department of Finance among others.
"This isn't a project that falls under (any one) government program. This is very unique and needs top-level attention, we feel," said Dennis Nelner, a Deh Cho representative on the APG.
The pipeline, which wouldn't be completed for an estimated seven years, is expected to cost $3 billion, according to Nelner. The APG would need $300 million in equity to own a share of the project, he noted. Tax concessions are one possibility for raising that equity, Nelner suggested.
"We're not necessarily looking for cash or a cheque," he said.
A Deh Cho leadership meeting regarding the pipeline is tentatively scheduled for Apr. 25-26 in Fort Liard. In the past, Deh Cho grand chief Michael Nadli has repeatedly stated that DCFN support of the Mackenzie Valley pipeline is conditional upon successful self-government negotiations. Yet, as time goes by, more and more critical decisions have to be made, according to Nelner.
"We need more direction from the leadership," he said.
In the meantime, Nelner said he, Harry Deneron and Doug Cardinal were in Wrigley and Jean Marie River recently for "very positive" community-level meetings.
"People are very excited about starting now to get prepared for the project... they know that training is very important," he said, adding that technical and professional-level industry positions will be sought. However, one of the greatest concerns is where the necessary training dollars are going to come from, he said.
Stan Sanguez, chief of the Jean Marie River First Nation, acknowledged that training and business opportunities, such as owning and leasing equipment, would be associated with a pipeline.
He said a consultant will be brought in to Jean Marie River to help the community conduct a "visioning" workshop over the next few weeks. That way, local people will have a better sense of how they can benefit from the project.
Yet, getting Ottawa to turn over an equitable share of the royalties through resource revenue sharing is also imperative, said Sanguez.
"If it's going through my traditional land, how do I get some sort of compensation?" he asked. "How many kilometres are going through my traditional territory? Maybe they clock that into numbers for me."
