Rio signs cooperation agreement with Canadian First Nation

1st February 2023 By: Esmarie Iannucci - Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Australasia

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Diversified miner Rio Tinto, through its Iron Ore Company of Canada (ICO) has signed an agreement with the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach to establish a mutually beneficial relationship based on dialogue, collaboration and trust between the company and the community over the coming decades.

The agreement was named “Aganow”, which refers to “iron-ore” in the Naskapi language.

The miner said this week that this socioeconomic agreement aimed to create opportunities for greater participation by Naskapi people in IOC’s activities through training and development, employment, collaboration on environmental projects, and procurement. It would also protect and encourage the practice of traditional activities and provide long-term financial benefits to the Naskapi Nation.

“Aganow reflects IOC’s solid commitment to developing mutually beneficial relationships with Indigenous partners. Over the last ten years, we have made significant progress, signing agreements with all five Indigenous communities present in the regions where we operate,” IOC president and CEO Mike McCann said.

“We appreciate the meaningful collaboration we have had with the Naskapi Nation and look forward to working together with them as we continue to integrate our goal of reconciliation in our daily actions.”

The agreement is the result of approximately two years of negotiations. It includes an expression of regret from IOC for its lack of understanding of the Nation’s historic reality, culture and livelihood in the past.

In recent years, IOC and the Naskapi Nation have had the opportunity to collaborate on a number of projects, including sharing expertise with Tshiuetin Rail Transportation, of which the Naskapi Nation is a shareholder, bringing fibre optic to the community and supporting a prefeasibility study for a caribou farm project.