Thorunn Howatt
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 11/02) - Northern companies will get more business at Paramount's Cameron Hills project if Kakisa's oil and gas advisor Allan Landry has anything to say about it.

"We don't actually have an agreement with Paramount yet but we have to have one within 60 days," said Landry.

Calgary-based oil company Paramount Resources Ltd. is drilling wells and building a pipeline in the Cameron Hills.

Kakisa claimed the area as its traditional land, and Paramount has an obligation to compensate the Ka'a'gee Tu band for hunting and trapping money lost during the project. Paramount's project received the go-ahead in January, so if there isn't a wildlife deal then Kakisa and Paramount could go to arbitration as early as mid-May. Landry hasn't taken the issue up with the National Energy Board or the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs.

The Cameron Hills are located southwest of Hay River close to the Alberta border. Landry's problem is with the number of southern companies working on the Cameron Hills site.

Kakisa is joint-ventured with oilfield-related businesses that benefit from work on the project. Its Travers joint venture is providing camps and food services, and two Kakisa residents work as environmental monitors on site, but Landry wants to see more action.

According to the federal Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, Paramount must create and follow a benefit plan.

"We do have a benefit plan in place," said Paramount spokesperson Shirley Maskaant.

Paramount's plan describes the scope of its project and outlines the kind of jobs that may be available and what the company anticipates it might be able to facilitate Northern employment.

"We are to make our best efforts to hire Northerners or Northern services when the services are available and can meet our projects' requirements in a cost-efficient and timely manner."

The Cameron Hills are about the same distance from Hay River as Kakisa, but Landry said the Ka'a'gee Tu band should take the lead role in bargaining.

"We are the main ones that are going to be affected if anything happens to the water," Landry said. "Hay River Reserve says they are, but they are not."

Landry said Westpoint and Fort Providence are making claim to the area too.

Work is also being done on the project by Trace Energy Services.

"A sizeable amount of the caterpillars working on the job clearing line are from Dene Oilfield Construction and they have a bunch of their own operators," said Trace's chief operating operator, Doug Newman.

Newman was referring to more than 15 aboriginal Northerners working for a Hay River-based company called Dene Oilfield Construction and Services.

Dene-owned Shehtah Well Servicing also has a service rig completing Paramount's wells.