VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – Canadian diversified miner Teck Resources has signed a formal participation agreement with the Fort Chipewyan Métis Local 125, identifying several economic benefits while creating opportunities for meaningful engagement and communication with the indigenous group, as the proposed Frontier oil sands megaproject moves through the permitting process.

Vancouver-based Teck said Wednesday the agreement also established a framework for items such as traditional land use and environmental stewardship related to the more than C$20-billion project, which is expected to be one of the largest oil sands developments in Northern Alberta’s oil patch to date.

"Teck has a real relationship with us. The relationship started before they filed their Frontier application,” stated Fort Chipewyan Métis Local 125 president Fred (Jumbo) Fraser, adding that “unlike some other oil sands developers, Teck has worked hard to develop the integrity and consistency of the relationship”.

The agreement will be implemented through a joint cooperative implementation committee, which will work collaboratively to support and implement economic benefits to support the community's Métis interests and rights; contracting opportunities for Fort Chipewyan Métis businesses; education, training and employment opportunities for members; consideration of traditional knowledge and traditional land use; and environmental stewardship planning and implementation.

“Teck has been listening to our concerns and has committed to continue to work with us as they progress through all stages of their development. Other companies could learn from Teck and how they have treated the Section 35 rights-bearing Fort Chipewyan Métis," Fraser said.

Teck last year pushed construction and first production from the project out by about five years to 2026, opting to start construction of the 260 000 bbl/d project in two phases from 2019 onwards, instead of the original four when it first filed its regulatory application in 2011. Frontier is currently moving through the joint provincial-federal regulatory review process and the company had not yet made a construction decision.

Located about 110 km north of Fort McMurray, in the traditional territory of the Fort Chipewyan Métis, the project could support an estimated 7 000 workers during construction and up to 2 500 workers during operation, if it is approved.