The announcement says amendments could help economic reconciliation
The Fort McKay First Nation, the federal government and the province of Alberta have announced regulations amending the Fort McKay First Nation Oil Sands Regulations.
The amendments made to the 2007 regulations, which were developed between the Fort Mckay First Nation and both federal and provincial governments as part of the First Nations Commercial and Industrial Development Act, were needed so that they can be easily accessed, clear, and incorporated into Alberta’s modernized provincial legislation and regulations, says the announcement.
Fort McKay First Nation first received an Addition to Reserve Lands as part of a 2004 Treaty Land Entitlement Settlement Agreement. This included oil sands deposits. The original regulations developed in 2007 were supposedly made to address the issues that came with developing the oil sands.
“Fort McKay First Nation has long been at the forefront of economic development in Northern Alberta, both as a business leader and an environmental steward,” said Raymond Powder, the chief of the Fort McKay First Nation, in the press release announcing the regulations.
With the updated regulatory regime, investors and operators can be assured that they will be able to advance an oil sands project on Fort McKay First Nation reserve land 174C, which can give economic benefits to the community as the changes represent an opportunity for economic reconciliation.
