John Curran
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 10/05) - Government, band and Land Corp. officials from around the Sahtu descended on Calgary recently for the seventh annual Far North Oil and Gas Forum.

Reached by NWT News/North while at the conference Leroy Andre, of the Deline Land and Financial Corp., estimates that roughly 30 Sahtu representatives made the trip south to attend the event from Deline, Tulita, Colville Lake and Fort Good Hope.

"It's been going very well," he said. "There is so much uncertainty surrounding the pipeline, and for companies looking to invest in the North, that it is important for us to be here."

In addition to a keynote address by NWT premier Joe Handley, the forum included discussions on topics such as the North American energy strategy and its affect on Northern exploration as well as the unique challenges and options for financing frontier exploration.

"This is all very valuable information for us," said Andre.

Deline has been attracting a lot of attention in oil and gas circles in recent months.

In the spring Petro-Canada won the rights to exploration licence 433, located roughly 100 km southeast of the hamlet, after it pledged to do $32 million worth of work on the property over the next four years.

"Traditional knowledge is the big thing with them right now," said Andre.

"We have a huge caribou issue to resolve through a benefit agreement that we're still negotiating."

As well, Dual Exploration - which was created this past summer after Devlan Exploration was bought out in a series of deals with competing firms - holds the rights to about 8,000 square kilometres southwest of Deline along the Great Bear River. It is said to be considering some activity there this winter.

Calls to Dual Exploration's vice-president of lands Gary Hinds and president Marty Cheyne were not returned prior to press time.