Sahtu Secretariat votes in favour of referring Imperial Oil project for environmental assessment

The majority of Sahtu Secretariat Inc. directors voted in favour of an environmental assessment of an Imperial Oil project in Norman Wells, N.W.T., that could impact the future of the company's operations. 

But before that motion is formalized, Charles McNeely, the chairperson of the secretariat, says there will be another meeting on Friday with directors to ensure the wording is clear that the environmental assessment just applies to the Line 4-90 replacement. 

The Sahtu Secretariat is responsible for implementing the Sahtu Dene Métis Comprehensive Land Claim — and as a result, has the power to enforce an environmental assessment of Imperial Oil in Norman Wells. The assessment looks at the impact of the project on things like the environment and local economy.

Imperial Oil is seeking permission to drill below the Mackenzie River to install a new bundle of lines to replace Line 4-90, which was damaged in 2022, and leaked 55,000 litres of water used in industrial processes into the Mackenzie River.

Imperial Oil has previously said it needs a regulatory decision by Oct. 1 so it can take advantage of the winter road season to repair the line. If it doesn't, the company warns of a worst case scenario of operations closing around or before 2026. Imperial says it has about another decade left to drill for oil otherwise. 

Although the majority of the Sahtu Secretariat supported the motion for an environmental assessment of the project this week, it was contentious — four votes were cast in favour, two against, and one abstained. 

Norman Wells Land Corporation, one of the votes against, shared the results to its Facebook page on Wednesday evening after its directors had left the meeting and the community.

Before leaving, Sherry Hodgson, a Norman Wells Land Corporation board member who voted against the motion, declined an interview request from CBC News. 

Throughout the assembly, many speakers took the opportunity to talk about their concerns with regulation around Imperial Oil. 

Ethel Blondin-Andrew, a former chair of the secretariat and former member of Parliament, lives in Norman Wells and attended the meeting. 

"I think Imperial Oil is fear-mongering. I think that they are insulting the Indigenous leadership from the Sahtu by implying that they don't know the regulatory deadlines," she said. 

Blondin-Andrew said people were in the area before Imperial Oil existed and they will be there after it closes, too. 

In an emailed statement, Imperial Oil spokesperson Christine Randall said they are "working to fully understand the impact of this decision on our project timeline and are assessing next steps."

"As previously stated, if we can complete the project in 2025, we expect our operation to continue for another five to 10 years. Without timely regulatory approvals, the operation is likely to shut down by 2026, and potentially even earlier, due to insufficient gas production," Randall wrote. 

Speaking at the assembly, some beneficiaries of Fort Good Hope said the community hasn't been alerted quickly enough when leaks at Imperial Oil have occurred in the past.

Which is why, they say, the project is in need of an assessment from someone independent of the company to ensure the community will be kept safe.  

Edwin Erutse, the former longtime chair of the Yamoga Land Corporation, said the whole system needs to be changed so that regulators involve the communities in their work.  

"Obviously there's some concerns from our community that we've addressed numerous times with them," he said.  

The regulators, he said, have a duty to consult with members regarding applications and licences. 

Erutse said they've been trying to participate in the regulatory process. 

"It's going to impact our life, environment, our drinking water," he said. "They have a duty to consult before they provide any approval and we feel that's been lacking." 

Frank T'Seleie, an elder in Fort Good Hope, is a former chief and longtime leader in the community. He agreed with Erutse and said the community should be involved in monitoring its impacts to the environment. 

T'Seleie said Imperial Oil's impact on the Sahtu has been discussed for over 100 years.  

"They're always trying to keep their costs down at the cost of the environment and I think that concerns us a lot," he said.

Not everyone shared the same concerns. 

John Louison is from Fort Good Hope and worked for Imperial Oil off-and-on for 40 years. 

"I can understand their concern, but they have to be there to see what I'm talking about," he said. 

Louison said the company has come a long way in reporting potential spills and cleaning them up immediately. He said he trusts them to ensure that everything is done safely, with whatever projects they are working on.  

"So I'm not that concerned, one bit, I trust them," he said.

The Sahtu Secretariat meeting to clarify the motion is expected to take place Friday afternoon, McNeely said.