Land

We believe that good land management practices are key to Imperial’s overall vision of responsible development.  We are ensuring protection for the land from a facility’s design and construction, operation, and, ultimately, through its closure and site reclamation.

Working with others
We maintain an ongoing dialogue with our neighbours through all phases of development and reclamation. We work closely with governments, communities, Aboriginal people and others to protect wildlife and minimize impacts on land. For example, at the Kearl oil sands project, we have included traditional knowledge and the advice of elders and other community members into our design. We have also ensured that our reclaimed lands will be accessible for traditional use by the local Aboriginal community.

For Imperial, seeking advice from elders and community members is extremely important for shaping our land reclamation plans. This knowledge allows us to learn more about issues such as local fish and wildlife habitat, selecting the right vegetation for seeding, or documenting cultural sites on a property.

We also work with groups such as Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) at our Cold Lake and Horn River operations to help us in our plans for environmental protection and reclamation. For example, at Cold Lake, we are working with DUC to better understand wetland features within the operational area and apply knowledge gained in planning future development. By working together, we are able to minimize our wetland disturbance, identify effective mitigation measures and, ultimately, reclaim the land.

For more information about Imperial’s approach to land reclamation, please click here to read our Corporate Citizenship Report.