We often receive questions about our involvement with Aboriginal communities impacted by the pipeline expansion, their views and how their input affects the Project. So we put a few of the more common questions we see to our Aboriginal Engagement Team.
See what they had to say.
How do you work with Aboriginal communities that would be impacted by the pipeline expansion?
We engaged with Aboriginal communities early to create an inclusive and meaningful process, including participation in field studies, for all those communities who may be impacted or have an interest in our Project. Recognizing that each community is unique, our engagement process was tailored to meet their specific needs and expectations.
How many communities have you spoken with?
The existing pipeline crosses 15 Reserves in BC, Treaty 6 Lands in Alberta and numerous traditional territories in both provinces. To date, we’ve engaged with more than 100 Aboriginal groups in Alberta and BC, including Vancouver Island.
Are all Aboriginal communities opposed?
No, and in fact there has been a significant amount of support and a growing number of communities that choose to support our Project whose views will be made public when they deem appropriate.
We also understand that supporting our Project does not mean these communities do not have concerns. Several Aboriginal communities have decided the best way to address their priorities and concerns is to build a long term relationship with us so that we can work together to find creative solutions.
What happens when you decide to work together?
We formalize our partnerships in what we refer to as “Mutual Benefit Agreements”. Our belief is we can achieve more by working together over the long term, and these agreements are negotiated to provide benefits to both parties. Through these partnerships, we work together to not only maximize employment and contracting opportunities, we support each other in other business, community investment and policy areas.
What have you heard from them?
We’ve received a lot of valuable information from Aboriginal communities since we began back in May 2012. A few common topics are protection of the environment during construction and operations, maintaining safe pipeline operations, ensuring emergency response capabilities are in place for both land and water, and the need to build partnerships to share in the economic benefits.
How does their feedback influence the project?
The feedback we receive from communities – whether it be from leadership, staff or individual community members – is essential to the success of our Project. We’re continuously providing information, seeking input and further refining and improving our Project plans based on that feedback. When refining our route for instance, Aboriginal communities provide input through traditional use studies so we can identify and protect areas of cultural significance and environmental sensitivity and reduce any potential impacts. At the end of the day, we want to create a Project where communities believe there are more benefits than risks, and that any impacts are temporary, minimal or appropriately monitored and mitigated.
Why is everything so confidential with Aboriginal engagement?
Engagement with Aboriginal communities needs to be respectful and in accordance with appropriate protocols. At times, this requires us to respect the need for confidentiality, especially during the negotiation of a Mutual Benefit Agreement.
