This document outlines Nola Buhr's proposal to study the relationship between mining companies, Aboriginal peoples, and Impact Benefit Agreements (IBAs) in Canada. The study will focus on two uranium companies, Cameco and Cogema, and their IBAs with three First Nations communities in Saskatchewan's Athabasca Basin. The document provides background on Aboriginal peoples in Canada, the area of interest, Environmental Impact Assessments, and IBAs. It indicates the research will use a case study approach examining public documents and interviews related to Cameco's IBA with local stakeholders.
Driving Behavioral Change for Information Management through Data-Driven Gree...
Mining Impact Agreements and Aboriginal Communities
1. FILLING THE HOLE IN ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT ASSESSMENTS: MINING COMPANIES,
ABORIGINAL PEOPLES AND IMPACT BENEFIT
AGREEMENTS IN CANADA
Nola Buhr
Edwards School of Business
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
CSEAR St. Andrew’s 2010
2. OUTLINE
Where I am at in the project
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Area of interest
Environmental Impact Assessments
Impact Benefit Agreements
Research methodology
Where is the accounting?
3. WHERE I AM AT IN THE PROJECT
At the proposal stage…..
4. ABORIGINAL PEOPLES IN CANADA
3 groups of Indigenous peoples in Canada: Indian,
Métis and Inuit
First Nations (FN) people identified with a
community; nearly all have land base
FN Communities governed by the Indian Act with
Chief and Band Council
615 First Nations communities in Canada with more
than 50 nations/cultural groups
Almost two thirds of these communities have fewer
than 500 residents
5. ABORIGINAL PEOPLES IN CANADA
Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples 1996
identifies 4 stages
Separate worlds (prior to 1500)
Contact and cooperation (1500 to 1812)
Displacement and assimilation (1812 to 1969)
Negotiation and renewal (1969 onwards)
History has resulted in a unique relationship
between Aboriginal peoples and Canada
6. AREA OF INTEREST
Athabasca Working group
2 uranium companies
Cameco and Cogema
The 3 FN communities of the Athabasca Basin
Black Lake Denesuline First Nation
Fond du Lac Denesuline First Nation
Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation
Along with Camsell Portage, Wollaston Lake,
Uranium City and Stony Rapids
9. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENTS
Evaluation of the natural, social and economic
impact of major projects
Required by environmental legislation in Canada
since the 1970s
Meant to include:
Community consultation
Impact mitigation
Monitoring of actual impacts
A license to operate
10. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENTS
What happens next….
Need to compare actual impacts with hypothesized
impacts!
Follow-up post “license granting” not done well!
11. IMPACT BENEFIT AGREEMENTS
New institutional arrangements dealing with
environmental, social and economic outcomes
Commitment to ensure positive socio-economic
benefits in addition to any negative impacts
Contract a community and a company that provides
Aboriginal consent or support for a project to
proceed
Also known as: participation agreements, benefits
agreements, supraregulatory agreements, benefits
sharing agreements
12. IMPACT BENEFIT AGREEMENTS
Already a subject of study by the geography area
For example: Masters thesis:
The Relationship between Environmental Agreements
and Environmental Impact Assessment Follow-up in
Saskatchewan’s Uranium Industry
by Jasmine Angie Birk
13. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Clearly a case study
Focus on relationship between uranium mining
company Cameco (one of the world’s largest
uranium companies) and its stakeholders
Use of public documents
Open-ended interviews