Two agreements signed between the Province and the Fort Nelson First Nation will support economic opportunities and provide greater land use certainty in northeastern British Columbia.

The Economic Benefits and Oil and Gas Consultation Agreements benefit the region by establishing a clear process for consultation and management of lands and resources between the Fort Nelson First Nation and the Province. This will contribute to stability on the land base and help stimulate investment in the Northeast over the next 12 years, while protecting the treaty rights of the Fort Nelson First Nation to protect their lands and resources.

The Economic Benefits Agreement provides the Fort Nelson First Nation with a share of the revenues generated from resource development in their treaty territory, including the natural gas activities in the Horn River Basin, bringing economic opportunities and fuller participation in the economy.

The Oil and Gas Consultation Agreement lays out a consultation process and timelines for referrals for petroleum and natural gas tenures and oil and gas development permitting activities between the Fort Nelson First Nation, the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Oil and Gas Commission. This is the first phase of a broader consultation agreement with all ministries.

As part of signing the agreements, the Province and Fort Nelson First Nation also have agreed to create a forum - the Horn River Leadership Group Initiative - to bring together the Province, Fort Nelson and natural gas producers to co-ordinate environmentally and economically sustainable development of natural gas in the Horn River Basin in a manner that respects the treaty rights of the Fort Nelson First Nation.

The Fort Nelson First Nation will receive $1.5 million in capacity funding to participate in the Horn River Leadership Group Initiative.

A further $2 million for a Community Development Planning Fund will support the Fort Nelson First Nation to plan and construct community infrastructure, such as upgrading community roads, the construction of an arbour for traditional dances, a wellness centre, a new lands department building and research to monitor the impact of oil and gas activity in the Fort Nelson First Nation traditional territory.

Quotes:

Mary Polak, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation -

“By bringing certainty to the land base, agreements like this support our government’s focus on job creation and investment, while providing economic opportunities for First Nations and non- First Nations families. The Province looks forward to continuing to build a strong relationship with the Fort Nelson First Nation.”

Kathi Dickie, Fort Nelson First Nation Chief -

“These partnerships ensure the Fort Nelson First Nation can actively participate in managing the future of our lands, and the economic benefits mean we will continue to develop our business ventures and participate in future economic opportunities while protecting our lands and resources so that our grandchildren will be able to continue to exercise their treaty rights. We are pleased with the recognition of the need for protected areas within our territory which can co-exist with development in other areas. We look forward to working with industry and government to ensure development happens in a sustainable way.”

Rich Coleman, Minister of Energy and Mines -

“Our government is seizing the opportunity to build a bold, new, value-added industry through liquefied natural gas exports. These agreements with the Fort Nelson First Nation build on the work we’ve been doing to get the most from our natural resources by continuing direct engagement with industry, First Nations and communities.”

Pat Pimm, Parliamentary Secretary for the Natural Gas Initiative to the Minister of Energy and Mines and MLA for Peace River North -

“The natural gas sector is an important economic engine in British Columbia. By building strong relationships between the Province, industry, First Nations, Peace River and Northern Rockies communities, we strengthen British Columbia as a whole and we all benefit.”

Quick Facts:

• The Fort Nelson First Nation’s main community is located seven kilometres south of Fort Nelson on the Alaska Highway in northeast British Columbia.

• As part of ‘Canada Starts Here: the BC Jobs Plan’, the Province has committed to 10 new agreements with First Nations by 2015 that will increase economic certainty and provide opportunities for First Nations to participate in and benefit from economic activities in their territory.

• An assessment of natural gas reserves in the Horn River Basin’s shale gas reserves last year indicated that the one field may contain 78 trillion cubic feet of the fuel, more than all B.C.’s conventional gas reserves.

• The BC Oil and Gas Commission is an independent, single-window regulatory agency with responsibilities for overseeing oil and gas operations in British Columbia, including exploration, development, pipeline transportation and reclamation.

Learn More:

For more information on Economic Benefit Agreements, visit: http://www.newrelationship.gov.bc.ca/agreements_and_leg/other.html

For more information on the Fort Nelson First Nation, visit: www.fnnation.org

Contacts:

Robin Platts
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation
250 387-1204
250 213-6451 (cell)

Chief Kathi Dickie
Fort Nelson First Nation
250 774-7257