Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Mar 15/04) - Winter field work on the Mackenzie Valley pipeline may be delayed for a second year in a row.

But for a Deh Cho chief, that's fine with her.

"The biggest contract, the general contracting, went to the two companies in Hay River. We weren't pleased with that," said Keyna Norwegian, chief of the Liidlii Kue First Nation in Fort Simpson.

First Nations in the Deh Cho raised a variety of concerns over Imperial Oil's winter geo-technical field work program, sending it to an environmental assessment in late February.

That means contracts totalling $10 million may hang in the balance, but Norwegian says she is more concerned about principle.

The LKFN was part of a joint-venture that was conditionally awarded the geo-technical consulting and drilling contracts. However, Norwegian contends the terms weren't very advantageous.

"It would have never benefitted us that much," she said. "General contracting would have had a lot more employees. That's what we were after, so I'm pleased that it's gone to environmental assessment."

Letters of concern were sent to the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board by aboriginal groups in Fort Simpson, Wrigley, Trout Lake and Fort Providence. Two of those communities -- Trout Lake and Wrigley -- also stood to gain from successful joint-venture bids for winter geo-technical contracts.

The time needed to complete an environmental assessment makes it "highly unlikely" the project will commence this winter, said Imperial Oil spokesperson Hart Searle.

This stands to be the second consecutive year that the program has been stalled.

Imperial Oil made "numerous offers" to meet with the affected communities last June and July to address their concerns. He said his employer's efforts have been documented and were submitted with its application for project permits.

He admitted that a level of frustration exists within Imperial's corporate boardroom.

"We felt that it was a good program, that it provided benefits to the local communities -- revenues into the Deh Cho," he said.

Imperial Oil still plans to submit its primary regulatory application for a Mackenzie Valley pipeline later this year despite lacking the geo-technical information from the Deh Cho region, Searle noted.

Norwegian said Imperial Oil seemed to doubt the First Nations' ability to have the permits referred to an environmental assessment. The bands are not recognized as legal governments under the legislation governing the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board.

"Hopefully they (Imperial Oil) understand now that what we're saying in the Deh Cho is normally what happens," she said.