Aboriginal relations

Imperial conducts its business in a manner that respects the land, environment, rights and cultures of Aboriginal communities. Through open consultation, we seek to understand Aboriginal perspectives on issues of mutual interest and to deal constructively with differing views.

Many of Imperial’s operations and development opportunities are located within Aboriginal communities or on their traditional lands. Because of this, we strive to develop and maintain lasting relationships with these communities built on mutual trust and respect.

Our approach

We follow a set of guiding principles and guidelines to reinforce our approach to Aboriginal relations and provide guidance in our daily interactions with our Aboriginal neighbours. The guidelines cover:

  • consultation - Imperial strives to maintain an ongoing dialogue that treats all parties fairly and respects the rights, traditions, language and decision-making of indigenous people
  • workforce development – Imperial’s goal is to have a workforce that is representative of the available qualified Aboriginal people in the labour market
  • business development -Imperial supports development of Aboriginal businesses that benefit the company and the community
  • community relations - Imperial supports projects that meet community needs and are consistent with our philanthropic objectives

In 2009, a copy of the principles was sent to stakeholders across Canada, including Aboriginal chiefs and leaders as well as government officials.  

What we are doing

Employee networks

We have created a centre of excellence in Community and Aboriginal Affairs based in Calgary to support the development, implementation and stewardship of our Aboriginal relations principles and guidelines. Along with this, we established an Aboriginal Relations Network of 24 employees to encourage the sharing of best practices in Aboriginal relations across the company. The network is integral to implementing and sustaining the company’s Aboriginal relations strategy as embodied in our Aboriginal relations principles and guidelines.

In 2009, the team developed performance-based measures to track our company’s progress on Aboriginal relations issues. These include:

  • number of Aboriginal stakeholder interactions.
  • effectiveness and consistency of stakeholder consultation.
  • amount of contract spending with Aboriginal businesses.
  • total investment in community programs that support Aboriginal people in Canada.

The network reports its goals and achievements to our company's senior vice president of resources.

 

Hart Searle, Connie Tuharsky and Janet Maaten are members of the Aboriginal Relations Network.

(Left to right) Hart Searle, Connie Tuharsky and Janet Maaten are members of the Aboriginal Relations Network.

 

Workforce development

We are continuing our efforts to increase Aboriginal employment in our company. Our goal is to achieve a workforce that is representative of the number of available, qualified Aboriginal people in the labour market. By developing targeted recruitment strategies and networks and investing in scholarships, work placement and training programs, we hope to attract and employ more Aboriginal employees.

In 2009, Aboriginal people represented about 2 percent of our employee workforce. This percentage will increase over time as we pursue new growth opportunities in Western and Northern Canada.

Across Canada, we fund scholarships to help students gain the academic qualifications and technical skills needed to compete for jobs in the industry. Since 1988, our Aboriginal scholarship program has provided almost $1 million to 150 students.

We also continue to promote education and training in other ways:

  • sponsoring, through the Horn River Basin Producers Group, the creation of an oil and gas field operations program at Northern Lights College in Fort Nelson, B.C.
  • funding a pre-technology program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton. Consisting of upgrade courses and mentoring, the program prepares Aboriginal students for technology programs at NAIT.
  • supporting the Northern Development Program (NDP) at our Norman Wells operation and the Native Internship Program at Cold Lake. Both programs provide paid on-the-job training for Aboriginal people from local communities in field and plant operations. At our Norman Wells operation, we began the NDP in 1990 as a way of increasing the number of Aboriginal employees from within the Sahtu region. Today, 34 percent of the employees at Norman Wells are of Aboriginal descent, and 58 percent of those employees are graduates of the program. Since the Cold Lake program’s introduction in 1998, more than 30 students have participated in the program, which has helped increase Aboriginal employment at Cold Lake operations to 10 percent of its total workforce.
  • funding Mount Royal University’s Iniskim Centre, which offers Aboriginal students programs and support services, including advice on admission and academic counseling.
  • funding a cultural resource Elder position in Calgary at Bow Valley College to provide academic and cultural support to Aboriginal students as part of an academic upgrading program.
  • partnering with Aurora College in Inuvik to provide a mobile trades training lab, a modified tractor-trailer that can be moved to various communities to offer training to students interested in pursuing careers in the oil and gas industry.
  • renewing a science education and employment development (SEED) agreement to support the Six Nations community in Ontario. In 2009, the agreement, which was first put in place between 2001 and 2008, was extended for an additional seven years. To ensure effectiveness, members of the steering committee are required to evaluate each program for measurable outcomes and community need. 

In addition, we have implemented internal training programs and initiatives that enhance retention of Aboriginal employees and address workplace barriers that may exist. For example, we are exploring opportunities to expand successful initiatives such as our Native Network at Cold Lake to other areas of the company. This network of employees acts as an Aboriginal support group at our Cold Lake operation and also works to strengthen relationships with local Aboriginal communities.

Business development

To help build local capacity, we identify and support the development of Aboriginal businesses in Alberta, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories – areas where we have growth projects with significant business opportunities.

In 2009, about $92 million in procurement contracts were awarded to Aboriginal businesses company-wide. These suppliers range in scope and scale and include well servicing, transportation, environmental studies, seismic data collection, waste management, pipeline surveillance, security and emergency medical assistance.

As we pursue our growth plans, we are meeting with local Aboriginal businesses to ensure they are aware of the opportunities created by our operations and projects and understand our requirements. This effort in 2009 included a number of highlights:

  • Together with our major contractors, we formed the Kearl socio-economic team, which is working with local businesses to share project expectations and ensure Aboriginal companies have the opportunity to bid on project work. In 2009, the team was instrumental in establishing contracting procedures that set out how job opportunities are to be promoted among the business community. 
  • We sponsored a Tools for Success workshop in Fort McKay, Alberta, through the Northeastern Alberta Aboriginal Business Association. Procurement experts from Imperial and partner companies spoke to local Aboriginal business entrepreneurs about pre-qualification and bidding requirements to participate in Kearl-related job opportunities. A total of 47 people representing 21 businesses participated in the workshop.
  • Along with the Horn River Basin Producers Group, we participated in the 2009 Fort Nelson Energy Expo in Fort Nelson, B.C. The industry-organized event provided local residents and businesses an opportunity to learn more about contracting, career opportunities and training programs in the oil and gas industry.

Consultation

Open and ongoing communication is essential to the way we approach Aboriginal relations.

By understanding Aboriginal perspectives on issues of mutual interest and by dealing constructively with differing views, we believe we can develop lasting solutions that benefit the project and community. For example, when designing Kearl, we consulted with elders and other community members and incorporated their advice and traditional ecological knowledge. This also resulted in us providing hunting, trapping and traditional land use access to areas of our leases that are not being actively mined. In addition, we introduced specific workplace and operating policies that are sensitive to Aboriginal concerns.

In carrying out formal consultation, Imperial follows existing provincial and territorial consultation guidelines, which determine the Aboriginal communities we need to consult with as part of the project’s permitting process.

In 2009, at the request of our Aboriginal network, we developed a corporate Aboriginal consultation protocol to provide further guidance. The protocol provides practical information on Aboriginal engagement to Imperial managers and leaders who regularly work with Aboriginal stakeholders. The protocol has been reviewed by members of the network, and the content and design have been revised. We plan to introduce the protocol in 2010.