The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and the government of Alberta are reaching an agreement over Teck Resources Frontier project.
The ACFN had previously reached deals with Teck and the federal government, however, they still had concerns regarding the environmental impacts.
After consulting directly with the province, they were able to come to an agreement that addressed their issues.
“After many productive discussions, the Alberta government has responded to our concerns with a comprehensive and meaningful package of action items,” said ACFN Chief Allan Adam, in a release.
“I am now confident that this Project is a net benefit to my community and the entire region. The environmental and cultural mitigations agreed to are unprecedented for a project of this kind.”
The province also announced they have an agreement in place with the Mikisew Cree First Nation.
Alberta’s Minister of Environmental and Parks Jason Nixon says having these two First Nations supporting the project shows the importance of approving Frontier.
“The opportunity that this project presents for our Indigenous communities, our province and the thousands of jobs it would create cannot be killed for political reasons. This project has played by the rules. It has followed the process. It’s time to get it done.”
If approved, the Frontier project would create around 7,000 jobs during construction and another 2,500 through operations. It’s expected to produce around 260,000 barrels of oil per day.
The federal government is expected to make a decision on the project by the end of the month.