| Aboriginals Stand Up to Oil Giants | 27 May 05 |
 Aboriginal peoples along the route of the proposed Mackenzie Gas Project are changing the way business is done in a remote region that some call a frontier and others call home. The $7 billion project involves three natural gas fields near the Beaufort Sea, a 1,220 km pipeline through the Northwest Territories into Alberta; all in the homelands of the Deh Cho, Sahtu, Gwich'in and Inuvialuit indigenous peoples.At the end of April 2005, developers-led by Imperial Oil - halted all engineering work on the project, a move seen by some as an attempt to strong-arm federal regulators and Aboriginal negotiators. But it may be First Nations that have the strong arm. The Aboriginal condition of $40 million in annual property tax payments is a key issue. In an interview with Manitoba Wildlands, Alex Swann, spokesperson for Deputy Prime Minister McLellan, said of Aboriginal support, "clearly it's key, especially given the history." In the 1970s Aboriginal opposition moth balled the Mackenzie pipeline project. Swann also said the government is streamlining the review process "as much as possible". Premier Handley of the Northwest Territories, and other northern leaders, say $100 million a year of new money from Ottawa will be needed if the Project is to proceed beyond this impasse. Swann says Ottawa will accept the figure as a starting point for negotiation. Visit the Mackenzie Gas Project website View the Imperial Oil release View the May 4, 2005 Planet Ark article View the May 15, 2005 Petroleum News story View previous ManitobaWildlands.org story: Mackenzie Disdain for Environmental Review View previous ManitobaWildlands.org story: Deh Cho seek injunction Sources: Globe & Mail, Deputy Prime Minister's Office |
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