“Dividends” for resource development

Billy Joe Laboucan, Chief of the Lubicon Lake Nation, says that even the smallest amount of revenue garnered from resources taken from his land would make a difference for his people.

“If we are able to just do two to four per cent, we would be able to pay for our own schools, pave our roads, have Elders’ facilities on our land within the communities,” said Laboucan. “We would be able to have a good education system which is the basis of all prosperity.”

In a recent interview with Alberta Oil magazine, Premier Jim Prentice referred to the Lubicon Lake people as “arguably the poorest Albertans.” Prentice traveled to Little Buffalo shortly after winning his by-election last October. “This is a community that has no running water, where they continue to have outhouses in the 21st century. Seventy-five per cent of the people don’t take part in the labour force.”

Laboucan, who refers to Prentice as a “breath of fresh air” when compared to his predecessor Alison Redford, was pleased with Prentice’s visit. He was also pleased with discussions that took place Feb. 18 in Edmonton when Treaty 8 Chiefs met with Prentice, Aboriginal Relations Associate Minister David Dorward, and a handful of other ministers to talk about priorities and actions.

Among those actions discussed, says Laboucan, was resource revenue sharing.

“It’s one of the agenda items … revenue sharing and treaty entitlement,” he said. “We dealt in generalities … so the tables have to be created in order to move ahead with this.”

Resource revenue sharing was also part of the discussion when Prentice and Dorward met with Treaty 6 Chiefs March 4.

But Dorward is reluctant to use the phrase “resource revenue sharing” in talking about the development of Alberta’s resources in moving forward.

“I don’t know that anybody’s definitely described to me what resource revenue sharing is. … When people say those words to me, I try to go to the end and say, ‘What are we trying to achieve here?’” said Dorward. “Alberta has no policy on resource revenue sharing, those words, but we certainly have a desire to have all Albertans, including First Nations people, be involved in the downstream result of the development of Alberta’s resources.”

Dorward says First Nations are already experiencing economic benefits from resource development with spin-off industries, contracted work and employment for members. But those economic benefits could be increased if First Nations collaborate with each other or partner in joint ventures with industry in the development of resources that go beyond the First Nations’ reserve boundaries or traditional area.

“Collaboratively working together it may be time for First Nations to come up with a project … that would then provide dividends for those First Nations who wanted to participate,” said Dorward.

Such a global approach, he says, could help First Nations make money to offset costs on reserves and to alleviate the gaps that exist in a variety of areas including housing, education, health care and infrastructure.

What a collaborative project would be is undefined, as is the source of funding to jumpstart such a venture.

“But we’re not there yet. I think we have to find out the who and what in general terms and then come up with  a pathway and then do some in depth work on a business plan before you can … answer those kinds of questions of how it can possibly be funded,” said Dorward.

Moving forward on the concept is now in the hands of the First Nations, he says, although the government will provide support and assistance. Dorward adds that although oil prices have plummeted and the province is slashing expenses, now is the time for work to begin on such a venture.

“These things generally take years and fives of years and tens of years and not months of time and so probably about now is the ideal time to do it in terms of being ready to go when the economy changes around as we do believe we’re in a cyclical situation more than we are a catastrophic situation relative to the price of oil,” he said.

In March, the Working Group on Natural Resource Development, a combination Assembly of First Nations and federal government undertaking, released its findings stating that First Nations should receive some of the money generated from resource development on their lands.

“We strongly urge the federal government, along with the provinces and territories, to come together with First Nations to explore options for resource revenue sharing,” says the report.

“We have to be able to share in the riches of this land and when we signed the treaties, we didn’t give away the resources. As far as we’re concerned, those resources are still First Nations,” said Laboucan.

There is no date set for a meeting with Treaty 7 Chiefs and Prentice