Common ground, but no agreement, reached with Dehcho: Imperial

CBC News, February 17, 2009 -- The main advocate of a proposed natural gas pipeline through the Northwest Territories says it has not struck an official pact with a group of holdout First Nations, though aboriginal officials say there is some kind of deal on the table.

A spokesman for Calgary-based Imperial Oil told CBC News on Tuesday that it has found some common ground with the Dehcho First Nations, but it has not reached a tentative agreement in principle on land access.

Ria Letcher, executive director for the First Nation, told the Canadian Press on Monday that Dehcho leaders will look at details of a draft benefits and access package as negotiators visit communities over the next week.

Leaders will discuss a ratification vote next week at a Dehcho leadership convention in Fort Simpson, N.W.T.

Letcher said the deal relates to land access and benefits related to the 1,220-kilometre pipeline, which would run through the N.W.T.'s Mackenzie Valley if built. What is in the benefits deal, or whether anyone has agreed to it so far, remains unclear.

The Dehcho claim traditional lands in the southwest corner of the Northwest Territories that would be part of the right of way for the Imperial Oil pipeline.

The claim covers about 40 per cent of the pipeline's projected route. The Dehcho are the only remaining First Nation along the route that hasn't expressed support for it.

Last month, federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice said the government has offered an undisclosed amount for infrastructure and pre-construction costs, as well as a sharing of risks and returns.

Such developments have been rare for the $16.2-billion project, which has long been stalled in the regulatory process.

The project is currently awaiting approval by the Joint Review Panel, an independent, seven-person body that has to review the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the pipeline. The panel may release its findings as early as next month.

With files from the Canadian Press