[IPSM] Deh Cho urged to get realistic

[Macdonald Stainsby]

Providing coverage of Alaska and northern Canada's oil and gas industry 
December 2005

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Vol. 10, No. 50  Week of December 11, 2005

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Deh Cho urged to get realistic


The hold-out Deh Cho First Nations got a clear message from Imperial Oil 
Chief Executive Officer Tim Hearn Dec. 6 that they should not expect a 
better deal than other aboriginal regions along the planned Mackenzie 
Valley gas pipeline route.

He said the Deh Cho has a "pretty good model for what is realistic and 
available" from the land access and benefits agreements reached with the 
Inuvialuit, Gwich'in and two Sahtu communities.

At a session for analysts and reporters, Hearn said the work 
accomplished so far should encourage the Deh Cho "to see what is possible."

But the Deh Cho continue to cling to a demand for property taxes from 
the pipeline - a prospect that has been rejected by the Mackenzie 
consortium and Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan.

Hearn urged the Deh Cho to deal separately with the pipeline and their 
attempts to negotiate a self-government and land claim agreement with 
the Canadian government and not attempt to use the pipeline for 
political leverage.

However, he said discussions have not broken off with the Deh Cho.

He hopes the agreements in principle reached with the other aboriginal 
regions will result in ratified deals by year's end.

Hearn also announced the latest uptick in the Mackenzie cost estimates, 
with the forecast now C$7.5 billion, an increase of C$500 million.

-Gary Park

-- 
Macdonald Stainsby
http://independentmedia.ca/survivingcanada
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
In the contradiction lies the hope
    --Bertholt Brecht.