Western Standard - Resource Development is Reconciliation

00:00:00.240 thank you very much for joining us today john we really appreciate it it's my absolute pleasure

00:00:04.880 corey um yeah i'm super excited to be here and talk about what we're doing great yeah and i mean

00:00:10.400 what caught my eye with that and i mean your site is fantastic and we'll go into a little of that in

00:00:14.080 a little while too just in general with the stories from people and things like that but

00:00:17.920 just a positive uh messaging outlook it's just saying you know what you know don't listen to

00:00:24.880 all the other things if we want reconciliation let's develop resources let's get people prosperous

00:00:29.760 and have them living happily in their communities out there and it's seems like it's simple common

00:00:35.600 sense but not enough people are saying that sort of thing no absolutely yeah and that's one of the

00:00:40.080 reasons why we stood up the network but um but yeah like you know reconciliation how do we achieve

00:00:45.360 reconciliation how do we look at resource development from an abundance mindset in terms of

00:00:50.000 prosperity for all you know sharing in in the risks but also sharing in the resources uh and the rewards

00:00:56.960 you know from an equitable perspective and and how that's facilitating you know community engagement

00:01:01.920 and self-determination um you know and so there's so many exciting things happening that are positive

00:01:07.440 for all of canada and canadians and the industry so we're really excited to to talk about that and to

00:01:14.160 you know further understand it but also celebrate what's happening and and why that's important for

00:01:18.480 communities and canada well it's in a large number of indigenous communities of course are in

00:01:23.600 isolated areas relative to our our population centers and if it isn't resource development

00:01:28.560 to help them become independent there isn't necessarily a lot there but i mean i mean it runs

00:01:34.640 contrary to some people make it sound as if the discussion too that as if everybody in the indigenous

00:01:40.400 community is all on the same page i mean there's multiple points of view on on how much development

00:01:44.160 should happen or who and where and and you should be allowed to have that open discussion absolutely yeah

00:01:49.520 like and we built the network off a poll that found that you know predominantly indigenous people and

00:01:54.480 communities are in favor of of resource development and and some of the consistencies are you know in

00:02:00.160 favor of good uh meaningful development sustainable development which aligns with the goals of canada

00:02:06.560 uh our government in industry and um you know there's there's incredible sentiment there in terms of let's

00:02:12.800 let's do this let's do this together and share in that prosperity yeah well and nobody's got a better

00:02:18.240 interest in sustainable and responsible development than the people who live in the area i mean you

00:02:23.120 could support the development of a pipeline because if you're there to watch you make sure that you

00:02:27.280 minimize impact you're not going to go out there and make more of a mess than you have to

00:02:32.400 again but we're not hearing that messaging a lot from the communities they seem to focus on the

00:02:36.480 activists who oppose unfortunately in the media rather than than the people who are interested in

00:02:40.960 developing yeah absolutely and so you know again none of the one of the reasons we think we're

00:02:46.160 um important to this conversation is to um you know i think challenge that that sensationalization

00:02:52.720 of indigenous sentiment in resource development and and you know and activism and and has really

00:02:59.280 certainly um you know i think been the predominant voice um but we're you know we and and so many

00:03:05.120 other groups and communities are here to say that it's not the representative voice it's it doesn't

00:03:09.200 represent the majority and doesn't represent by and far largely the sentiment in terms of being involved in

00:03:15.840 developing moving and developing forward and in line with what you just said absolutely indigenous

00:03:20.800 people um are here to um influence and assert through ownership you know greater sustainability

00:03:27.120 in terms of design in terms of construction in terms of operation um because you're absolutely right

00:03:32.400 you know communities bear considerable environmental risk with resource development understand that and

00:03:37.680 the conversation changes when we're in a position to be able to influence you know the

00:03:42.160 development in a way that ensures the protection of that that that environment and the culture and

00:03:47.360 ceremony that that surrounds um the development in the land in the land use yeah and um something

00:03:54.160 that's changed i think as well has been some of the attitudes from industry and perhaps it's from like

00:03:58.000 proactive uh business people like yourself speaking out but i was in the oil industry way back 30 years

00:04:03.440 ago and such and we'd work in areas with indigenous communities but to be honest usually at best okay well

00:04:08.400 we'll cut a check to the local community or something like that or maybe hire a few folks and then we'll

00:04:13.360 move on but now companies are often seeking actual partnerships not tokenism they they want participation

00:04:20.720 with the local community so that there's an investment and it's longer term and and that can certainly

00:04:26.320 have a lot more positive uh longer term outcomes then yeah absolutely it does and so you know historically

00:04:32.800 communities were seen as as maybe even potentially risk or stakeholders as part of the process as part

00:04:39.040 of the development process but the sentiment is changing and changing at a rate that is uh exciting

00:04:44.880 especially over the last you know five ten years yes jurisprudence says that you know indigenous people

00:04:50.160 have more you know uh rights and and more um obligation for consultation but industry is even moving past

00:04:56.560 that and saying no it's just really good business to partner to work with communities on a

00:05:01.840 on a meaningful equitable level in terms of understanding and sharing some of the challenges

00:05:05.920 the risks the financing but even the partnerships if that's not possible looking for sustainable

00:05:12.720 development as opposed to just managing communities and their expectations but looking for what are the

00:05:17.680 outcomes how do we ensure that you know even ultimately the lives of indigenous people are better

00:05:23.040 once this development moves on that they've built enough capacity sustainable development that they can

00:05:26.960 diversify and into different economies and and industries are asking those questions you know

00:05:32.080 government are asking those things and and starting to develop policies and procurement and and

00:05:37.200 relationships where that's an accountability and a deliverable and it's it's exciting how that's

00:05:42.080 changing and you know we a lot of people involved in the industry think we don't talk about that enough

00:05:47.200 we don't celebrate that we don't reward um that type of sentiment and attitude because that's the the

00:05:52.240 sentiment that builds partnership and relationship that ensures there's a lasting and a deep impact

00:05:58.960 to these relationships and partnerships well yeah and having skilled participants i mean it's an asset in

00:06:04.480 any industry and if they're close to where you're working you can't beat that i mean even just on a dollars

00:06:09.440 and cents business case it makes sense to train up people and get them invested and wanting to be a part

00:06:15.040 of the project and you have a great local resource of people to help with those things it's unfortunate like i

00:06:20.480 i worked in the arctic for a number of years uh back when it was thought that the mckenzie valley

00:06:24.960 pipeline was still going to happen and there was a lot of investment though up there in the college up

00:06:30.560 that way and training people from everything from production accounting to welding you know in

00:06:35.680 anticipation and that didn't happen but those are still skills that the industry brought to people

00:06:40.480 up there that they wouldn't have been able to get otherwise and as i said they could diversify some of

00:06:45.280 those skills they could take out into other industries even if the pipeline didn't make it and

00:06:49.520 and then you know i imagine these sorts of developments in other communities can lead to

00:06:52.800 that sort of broadening i guess of of enterprise and skills absolutely it's it's really exciting to

00:06:59.280 be part of conversations where industry is is kind of moving past just the business need the project

00:07:04.960 need and realizing yes there's a considerable value in investing in these skills in the education life

00:07:10.960 skills um you know and and achieving um you know measures or means of socioeconomic reconciliation

00:07:18.000 so getting people much more engaged in terms of their opportunities diversifying skill sets so they

00:07:22.000 can do all sorts of things and and these investments are happening and and industry is is far less

00:07:28.240 um i think you know i don't know but disappointed but they're they're they're far less understanding

00:07:33.120 that yes this is this is how you do business um we're going to train train people from a i think from

00:07:38.400 a more altruistic perspective in terms of its its greater impact to economy and industry and and but

00:07:44.880 ultimately be serves the business that's that's wonderful as well too and there's people that can

00:07:48.960 do these things and they can transfer those skills to other areas other resource development other other

00:07:54.000 economies uh administration leadership all those those skills um certainly transcend specific industries

00:08:00.480 and they're certainly applicable and so uh yeah it's really exciting what's happening yeah and your

00:08:05.760 group is giving a platform to you know different engaged voices throughout the community in general to to

00:08:11.600 give that different perspective i see a a piece by chief crystal smith on uh you know saying first

00:08:16.640 nations want an energy future not eco-colonialism you know a bit of a loaded title but well we see the

00:08:21.600 the colonialism word thrown out in opposition to development all the time and then this is kind of

00:08:26.880 turning it around well hang on you know you you foreign uh anti-industry groups aren't necessarily

00:08:32.560 looking out for the local people's interest as well it's sort of a different sort of patronizing

00:08:36.320 colonialism going on out there absolutely like and she's an excellent example and um a wonderful

00:08:43.120 champion for you know describing you know yes maybe there's some aspects of of of um interest that

00:08:49.760 align but it's typically just the frustration um it doesn't align with the with the goals of the

00:08:55.120 community a hundred percent goals want to participate they want to develop they want to self-determine they

00:08:59.200 want to be autonomous and you know this type of active activism doesn't align with that it doesn't

00:09:04.400 it doesn't contemplate what if what does moving forward look like and uh what does it moving

00:09:09.280 forward look like with communities which i think by and far are the goals of community um you know

00:09:14.400 to be able to make the decisions resource development yes or no and to be empowered to do so and she is an

00:09:20.080 incredible spokesperson for that and and its impact on our community and making those decisions and so

00:09:26.320 um yeah that's that's changing it needs to change it needs to change even further as we build out

00:09:30.960 communities their sovereignty their independence their autonomy they're you know incredible economic

00:09:36.320 developers and and they want to do that and they want to develop um on you know our terms and in

00:09:41.920 true spirit of partnership and yeah and more of that needs to happen we need to talk about the things

00:09:47.360 that where it's happening and create a new standard in terms of what the international community or even

00:09:53.360 just national communities sees as indigenous sentiment and and practicality and pragmatism in resource

00:09:59.520 development yeah so uh with your organization i mean you're bringing light to a lot of issues you're

00:10:05.040 giving a platform as i said uh i see other categories you've got research available and and other things

00:10:11.280 such as that that you guys have been taking part in absolutely yes we wanna you know as opposed to we

00:10:16.400 don't want to be an organization that pounds tables or talk about reparations or anything like that we

00:10:21.040 want to talk about um and then use the research to support that so we built it off that through surveys and

00:10:26.640 through understanding data through economic impact um you know different um you know different policies

00:10:33.040 and legislation so we want to look at those and say okay what's you know what's the true impact

00:10:37.520 economic impact if we would go this way in terms of regulatory in terms of undripped in terms of

00:10:41.600 you know emissions intensity cap production um you know understand those things um and in research to do

00:10:48.800 that and so yeah we certainly have the capacity wanna wanna use that data and then understand and make

00:10:55.840 informed choices um in terms of development and and the policies that either support or constrain

00:11:03.520 development yeah and then we've talked a lot about oil and gas and lng but i i know as well you talk

00:11:08.880 about other resource industries forestry and mining which again are very large industries that can have

00:11:14.480 some some serious impacts if done incorrectly but can have some serious benefits if partnered correctly so

00:11:20.400 i mean you know those kind of get lost in the mix sometimes but there's a lot of potential for

00:11:24.240 communities in both of those industries oh absolutely and in addition like we talk about fisheries as

00:11:29.440 well too and supporting some of the west coast um you know indigenous communities and their fishery

00:11:34.240 initiatives and and fish farming and stuff like that and you know there's certain policy and permitting

00:11:38.960 and regulatory issues and hoping for reform that understands those you know if we were to transition or

00:11:44.960 if there's issues of sustainability let's understand the economic impact aspect of those

00:11:49.040 um you know similar with with mining and and um forestry you know what does what does indigenous

00:11:54.640 stewardship and participation and sustainability look like um you know and and there's certainly a lot

00:12:00.720 of um synergy in terms of participation and sentiment in the different industries and yeah we're talking

00:12:06.000 much more and more and more about uh the different aspects in those industry right and so you know the the

00:12:11.600 life cycle of a mining um project and development operations and reclamation and what's the great examples in there and the

00:12:18.400 of worker participation and business participation and they're similar with with forestry what is

00:12:22.880 sustainability and stewardship uh from an indigenous perspective land rights and and forest management

00:12:28.320 practices and yeah we're diving into all the sectors to really understand um you know what's really

00:12:34.640 working let's celebrate and talk that and share that across all the industries and then what's not

00:12:38.800 working we work practically you know with government and industry um you know again we're not we're non-partisan

00:12:44.880 we don't really want to be political we want to be advocates but active advocates with experience

00:12:50.880 lived experience and substance through the research and so and to inform conversations uh good conversation

00:12:57.280 meaningful conversations well excellent your site's a great resource and i really like that positive

00:13:03.040 messaging you guys are doing and again i really appreciate you coming on to talk to us about it so where can

00:13:07.840 people find more information about what you you've been doing and if they wanted to take part or just research

00:13:13.360 some things or to you absolutely our newly launched website is as a great resource and we're looking

00:13:20.080 for people to sign up as members and you know we we represent indigenous workers in business absolutely

00:13:25.680 please sign up as such so we can understand you know the impacts and your needs more um but even

00:13:30.960 non-indigenous and just the general community to support what we're doing and how we're doing

00:13:35.120 and uh you know we have we're active on all social media streams quite active and in linkedin twitter

00:13:41.120 facebook um you know even instagram and so uh follow uh the activities like and share if you

00:13:47.760 see it we're finding more people are much more comfortable as as they start to see our messaging

00:13:52.400 it's it's positive it's objective uh we don't like to polarize we don't want to start fights you know

00:13:58.080 we don't want to do that we want to be very practical in application and and and do it in a good

00:14:02.720 meaningful way and so yeah direct them to the reason to the network direct them to the website um please

00:14:08.400 sign up um and then you know so we can understand um all these aspects even further and then kind of

00:14:14.320 build that following and then follow our social media channels excellent well thank you one more

00:14:19.360 time for joining us then john and uh i hope we get to talk again soon we'll talk about some of those

00:14:23.840 partnerships and successes absolutely my pleasure corey thanks for having me you can become a western

00:14:29.280 standard member for just ten dollars a month or 99 a year for unlimited access

Western Standard - July 24, 2023

Resource Development is Reconciliation

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