NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Dehcho Region

Tags: knowledge transfer, traditional knowledge, industrial development, environmental impact assessment, socio-cultural, First Nations

Objective(s): Imperial Oil Resources Ltd., Aboriginal Pipeline Group, ConocoPhillips Canada (north) Ltd., Shell Canada Limited, and ExxonMobil Canada are continuing a series of baseline studies they have been working on since 2001. Local knowledge and technical/scientific research, in combination with a synthesis of existing technical information, is being used to develop a suitable knowledge base for planning, assessing impacts and developing environmental protection plans. The traditional knowledge study will involve collecting existing knowledge, gathering new knowledge, and producing a report that will provide specific information needs of the Mackenzie Gas Project, facilitate meaningful community participation and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements for the use of traditional knowledge in the environmental assessment. The Mackenzie Project Environment Group will be subcontracting the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation to collect and document traditional knowledge for this project. The Wrigley Traditional Knowledge Working Group will determine issues to be studied, determine study area boundaries, recommend methods for community participation, identify people who have traditional knowledge, and review the maps and reports produced during the study.

Project Description: Imperial Oil Resources Ltd., Aboriginal Pipeline Group, ConocoPhillips Canada (north) Ltd., Shell Canada Limited, and ExxonMobil Canada are continuing a series of baseline studies they have been working on since 2001. The researchers are combining local knowledge and technical/scientific research so they can assess impacts and develop environmental protection plans. The traditional knowledge study is meant to collect existing knowledge, gather new knowledge, and produce a report that has the information needed for the Mackenzie Gas Project. Collecting this information in one place will make it easy for communities to participate and ensure that the environmental assessment includes traditional knowledge. The Mackenzie Project Environment Group will be subcontracting the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation to collect and document traditional knowledge for this project. The Wrigley Traditional Knowledge Working Group was chosen by the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation and includes two elders and a band councillor. The working group will decide what the researchers will study, where the study area boundaries will be, recommend methods for community participation, identify people who have traditional knowledge, and review the maps and reports produced during the study. The researchers will collect information related to wildlife, birds, fish, vegetation, historical/cultural/spiritual sites, climate, water, soil, human health, cumulative effects, and other relevant social, economic and environmental issues. If people need to be interviewed to collect the information, the researchers will make sure that those people understand what the study is about before they participate and that they give their consent to be in the study. No one will be identified in the study unless they want to be identified. If any site visits are needed during the study, a local community representative will come along on the site visit to help make sure that sensitive areas, harvesting activities and wildlife are avoided. Pehdzeh Ki First Nation will store all the data collected during the study.