Alberta-Ottawa Pipeline Initiative Faces Indigenous Division

Post by : Mina Rahman

The provincial government of Alberta, alongside federal authorities, has initiated plans for a potential pipeline that would transport oil from Alberta to the shores of British Columbia. Indigenous communities across Alberta are expressing mixed sentiments about the proposal, despite the involvement of one Indigenous group as a significant partner.

The Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC) has been named a principal collaborator in this agreement. According to AIOC’s Channa Martineau, this marks an important, albeit initial, step forward.

She emphasized that for Indigenous communities to genuinely participate as partners, they must be engaged from the very beginning rather than after much of the planning is already settled.
“Those initial discussions can be challenging,” she noted, “but they set the stage for fewer issues later on.”

Thus far, AIOC has provided around $745 million in loan guarantees facilitating projects involving 43 First Nations.

Nevertheless, the pipeline initiative requires the consent of impacted First Nations in both Alberta and British Columbia, with some leaders voicing concerns over their exclusion from early discussions.

The Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations expressed a desire to collaborate with both the federal government and Alberta on economic ventures but conveyed disappointment over their exclusion from the decision-making dialogue, especially since a significant portion of the proposed route traverses Treaty 6 territory.

The proposed pipeline aims to transport approximately 300,000 to 400,000 barrels of bitumen daily to the West Coast for international export.

Pushing this plan forward may necessitate amendments to the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, currently prohibiting large oil vessels from navigating certain north B.C. coastal waters due to environmental hazards.

Environmental apprehensions remain paramount. Expert Rick Steiner, who responded to the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster in 1989, cautioned that no matter how stringent safety measures may be, tankers inherently carry the risk of catastrophic spills.

For the federal government to permit tanker operations associated with this new pipeline, it would either have to issue an exemption from the tanker ban or adjust its parameters. However, B.C. Coastal First Nations have stated they will not endorse any such exemption.

Alberta’s Indigenous Relations Minister, Rajan Sawhney, is striving to maintain transparent and inclusive discussions among all Indigenous communities. She has recently engaged in a constructive meeting with Chief Kelsey Jacko of Cold Lake First Nation.

Martineau advocates for both energy firms and Indigenous factions to evolve their perceptions of one another. She recognizes that outdated stereotypes continue to shape their interactions.