Ottawa’s move to help Indigenous peoples fund investments in natural-resource and energy projects is coming, and, as requested by First Nations leaders, it will allow for equity investment in oil, gas, LNG, and related initiatives. The program was announced in the 2024-5 federal budget this week, with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland promising that up to $5 billion will be available. There is no detail yet on when the program will go into effect, how long a period it will cover, what the rules and red tape will be, or exactly how it will be administered. But at least it will allow for Indige ..read more

Our newsletter, 12 April 2024 Cedar LNG takes key steps forward The proposed US$3.4-billion Cedar LNG facility in B.C. is looking toward becoming a reality in the wake of positive statements by the project partners. The project has signed a 20-year deal with ARC Resources for supply of 50% of the natural gas needed to turn into LNG, and Pembina will arrange for the other 50%. And technology giant Baker Hughes announced it has been selected to supply electric-driven liquefaction technology for Cedar LNG. Following these deals, Cedar has given Notice to Proceed to engineering, procurement, and ..read more

The First Nations LNG Alliance welcomes its newest member from Treaty 6, the O’Chiese First Nation, who number approximately 1,600 and are of Saulteaux and Cree ancestry. The O’Chiese community, which today resides near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, says it takes very seriously its ancestral responsibility of looking after its lands, resources, and people. “One of the reasons O’Chiese has decided to join The First Nations LNG Alliance is to take back control of, and participate in, conventional oil and gas and other energy extraction and production in its territory. . . . We seek to meaningfu ..read more

Our newsletter: 28 March 2024 We have questions on the federal loan program With the federal government planning to include an Indigenous loan-guarantee program in its 2024-5 budget on April 16, we have raised some issues and questions. Will the program allow for investment in oil and gas ventures? Will it allow for Indigenous investment beyond “natural resources”? What role will the feds allow Indigenous Peoples to play in the governance of the program? Will the program cover capacity support for Indigenous groups? Read more: https://ow.ly/HvH150QZ9Ve And our thanks to Shannon Joseph, chai ..read more

The federal budget for 2024-5, due to be presented to Parliament on April 16, promises to include a loan-guarantee program to enable Indigenous People to invest in resource projects on their territories. Such a program should be welcome — but how welcome depends on Ottawa’s rules and red tape surrounding it. That a program is needed is clear. Indigenous Peoples are increasingly becoming partners in resource projects, but the Indian Act now bars Nations from using their land as collateral for loans. This means that Indigenous communities are forced to look for commercial equity loans — at highe ..read more

We’ve been spreading the message in that headline above for a long time online — and now it’s becoming even more clear. For example, the Nisga’a Nation now has announced, with Western LNG, the planned purchase from TC Energy of the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline project (PRGT). It would be used to feed natural gas to the Ksi Lisims LNG project, proposed in far northwest B.C. by the Nisga’a and partners Western LNG and Rockies LNG. Meanwhile, the Cedar LNG project, majority owned by the Haisla Nation, now is working on sales agreements, third-party consents, and project financing. Whil ..read more

Our newsletter: 14 March 2024 These These women lead in Canadian LNG Featured by Alberta’s Canadian Energy Centre were Crystal Smith (left), chair of our Alliance and elected chief councillor of the Haisla Nation; Karen Ogen (centre), CEO of the Alliance; and Eva Clayton, president of the Nisga’a Nation and vice-chair of the Alliance. Chief Smith said her nation has seen great benefits from its support of the LNG Canada project, and owning the planned Cedar LNG project with partner Pembina Pipeline Corporation takes the opportunity to a new level. “We have a bigger vision that provi ..read more

News releases: TC Energy agrees to sell Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline system (approved but not yet built) to the Nisga’a Nation and Western LNG, to feed the nation’s proposed Ksi Lisims LNG project: https://ow.ly/JcAH50QTKZk  See also: https://ow.ly/tv1s50QTNtk Karen Ogen, CEO of the First Nations LNG Alliance, responded to the news above with the following statement: On behalf of the First Nations LNG Alliance, congratulations to the Nisga’a Nation and Western LNG on their purchase of the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) project and to TC Energy for seeing the oppor ..read more

Some 400 years ago, French explorers noted First Nations people lighting natural gas that seeped into and around Lake Erie. We’ve come a long way since then: About one third of Canada’s energy needs now are met by natural gas. More than six million Canadians use it to light, heat, and cool homes and business premises. It’s also used in Canada for transportation, for making fertilizer and petrochemicals and the plastics that are used in countless applications, from medical devices to clothing. It is used around the world, and demand for it, in the form of shipments of liquefied natural gas, is ..read more

Our newsletter: 29 February 2024 B.C. introduces loan-guarantee program The 2024-5 B.C. budget speech from Finance Minister Katrine Conroy (above) promised loan guarantees for First Nations so they can borrow funds to purchase equity interest in projects “across a broad range of sectors.” See pages 62-63 of the speech at https://ow.ly/UXRP50QGV1G Conroy added: “Through First Nations equity participation, the benefits of strong project partnerships can be realized, including economic growth, informed decision-making, and improved regulatory certainty.” The promised First Nations Equity Financi ..read more