The First Nations - Building Successful Partnerships

Canada's petroleum is often produced in remote areas where much of the population is Aboriginal. First Nations and Metis people are taking an increasingly active role in the Canadian oil and gas industry. As joint venture partners, as energy industry workers, managers and business owners, they are stepping forward to play an important role in Canada's energy industry.

In response to the needs of its neighbours, the industry offers ground-breaking Aboriginal education, employment and entrepreneurial programs.

Syncrude Canada, the country's largest bitumen producer, supports Aboriginal people in a variety of ways in gaining the skills and experience required to do oilsands jobs.

One of its most recent initiatives, is the Syncrude Aboriginal Trades Preparation Program (SATP), a 29-week program developed to meet the needs of local communities. Open to First Nations and Métis residents of the Fort McMurray region, SATP includes 25 weeks of upgrading and trades exploration, offered through Keyano College; a four-week work placement at Syncrude; mentoring with Syncrude employees; and a potential opportunity to complete a three- or four-year apprenticeship in their trade while working at Syncrude.

SATP began after Syncrude surveyed Aboriginal people in the region, asking what they needed most. When local communities told the company they wanted training and skills development in the trades, Syncrude asked Keyano College to develop a program to meet those needs.

Syncrude donated $1.8 million in cash to Keyano College to set up SATP and support the program for three years, plus $200,000 worth of gifts-in-kind for students, including personal safety equipment and other supplies, a work practicum, transportation to the work site, student lodging during the practicum, and mentorship opportunities. These funds cover 60 per cent of the total project funding.

SATP's first class began last September and wrapped up in March, with 21 students graduating. Students who complete the program are eligible to become indentured apprentices at Syncrude and other companies in the region.

The program "has been really successful," says Syncrude spokesperson Cheryl Robb. "We set people up for success, because they get to choose what they are interested in. Whether they want to be a welder, pipefitter or electrician, it's their choice."

Program graduate Bernie Hoffman, 38, who lives in Fort Chipewyan, is now starting his apprenticeship training with Syncrude as a millwright. "I think it's a good thing that Syncrude did," says Hoffman, who was born and raised in Edmonton, and whose mother is Dene from Fort Chipewyan. "By doing that, it helped a lot: just to offer it for Aboriginal people. They don't get too many opportunities, especially a lot who live in places like this, on settlements and reserves. Not too many opportunities come around. It really did a lot of good, especially for this younger generation." As far as advice for young people goes, "If you're not used to being in school, stick with it," Hoffman says. "Show up every day and do your homework, so you stay on top of the game."

Fort McMurray resident Larry Listener, 31, is another SATP graduate who is starting his apprenticeship at Syncrude, as a heavy equipment technician at the company's Aurora mine north of Fort McMurray. Listener, who grew up in Hobbema and belongs to the Ermineskin First Nation, moved to Fort McMurray a few years ago. He has worked a number of different jobs over the years, including fighting forest fires and leading a crew, doing autobody work, and as a roughneck. He decided to enroll in SATP because of "the opportunity to get a door open to working for the oilsands. I wanted to get into the oil side of the work. That's why I got into the drilling rigs, but that got to be seasonal too."

At Syncrude, his hours are much more regular. He puts in 12-hour days and gets to see his family when he returns from work and on his days off. For Listener and the other SATP graduates, the opportunity to participate in this program has made a tremendous difference in their lives, today and into the future.

"Before I took this program, it was hard to see myself succeeding," Listener explains. Most of his friends, he notes, are unemployed. While his friends - who live in Fort McMurray, Hobbema and St. Paul - think that what Listener has done by graduating from SATP is "awesome", they also believe that it would be a long haul to get there themselves.

"If they really wanted to, I think they could achieve it - anything is possible," Listener says. "I would like to say that it's not impossible, and that if you get the opportunity, to give it all you have."

SATP graduates - ranging in age from 18 to 40 - are proud to be role models for their community and for their families. "There is lots of empowerment for these people in terms of their next step in moving forward," says Janis Lawrence-Harper, Keyano College Associate Dean, Workforce Development and SATP project lead.

Keyano College developed SATP's academic component, which addresses life and employment skills in addition to academic skills. The program's complex logistics were assisted by Alberta Employment and Immigration and Syncrude. SATP was created to be a regional program and was offered at four different sites - Fort Chipewyan, Fort McKay, Janvier and Fort McMurray - at the same time.

The fact that it is multi-site and offered in partnership with only one company makes SATP unique, according to Lawrence-Harper, explaining that organizers decided to hold the course in four locations so that students wouldn't have to leave home to participate. "Research shows that people do better when they are supported by their family, so having that ability for them to stay in their community was huge."

Screening for the next SATP class, to start in September, is now underway.

The program was organized by Keyano College, with sponsorship from Syncrude, Alberta Employment and Immigration, Métis Nation of Alberta, Chipewyan Prairie First Nation, Fort McMurray #468 First Nation, Fort McKay First Nation, Mikisew Cree First Nation, and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. The program has received additional support from Athabasca Tribal Council, the Métis locals, and Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training.

Lawrence-Harper has high praise for the time and effort that Syncrude, the project's main sponsor, dedicated to getting SATP off the ground. "It was a huge amount of effort behind the scenes to make sure this came off, with four instructors, four locations, and arranging the transportation, logistics and curriculum."

As project sponsor for the first three years, Syncrude has first right of refusal for the students who go through the program. "The hope is that other companies will see the benefit and that in three years, other stakeholders will come in to help support the program and also benefit from the students who complete the program," Lawrence- Harper says.

Making sure that Aboriginal people have the opportunity to benefit from oilsands development has always been important for Syncrude, according to company spokesperson Cheryl Robb. When Syncrude started working in the oilsands, Robb explains, it recognized that development would impact local people. "That's why it was so important we made sure they also benefited from the development." Even before starting production in 1978, Robb notes, Syncrude established an action plan in 1974 to provide training and counseling to local Aboriginal people.

Today, Syncrude's Aboriginal Relations Program encompasses a broad range of areas, ranging from employee recruitment, education and training, to community and business development.

Syncrude is one of Canada's largest employers of Aboriginal people, with self declared Métis, Aboriginal or First Nations people making up more than eight per cent of its workforce. In 2009, Syncrude set a company record in the number of Aboriginal workers hired, at 85 in total that year.

Business development is another focus of the company's Aboriginal Relations Program. Syncrude has always done business with Aboriginal-owned firms, Robb says, and in 1992 committed to spend at least $30 million a year doing business with Aboriginal-owned firms. Last year and in each of the previous five years, Syncrude exceeded that goal, doing more than $100 million annually in business with Aboriginal owned companies.

"We award business based on merit. It shows that local Aboriginal businesses are among our best and most trusted suppliers," Robb says.

These are some of the reasons that Syncrude has been recognized by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB), as a company that is committed to increasing Aboriginal employment, assisting business development, and building individual capacity. Syncrude is the only oilsands operator, and one of 11 Canadian companies, to hold gold level certification with the CCAB under its Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) program.

"Syncrude has done a phenomenal job in terms of building solid community relations with the Aboriginal communities that are impacted by activity in the oilsands," says CCAB President and CEO Clint Davis. "Syncrude has built a comprehensive consultation framework with communities, and ensured that the revenue and business it generates help create mutual wealth, by tapping into Aboriginal businesses to provide goods and services. By doing that, it really creates the engagement of First Nations and Métis people in the energy sector, and builds business capacity for those individuals as they supply goods and services to Syncrude. These are small companies that hire other Aboriginal people, which in turn builds the local community."

Syncrude stands out as a leader in reaching out to Aboriginal communities in the regions where it works. For companies that have not done as much, Davis offers a number of suggestions that he believes could help local communities and individuals in a big way.

"Do outreach, connect with Aboriginal businesses, and make sure you have some sort of mentoring or buddy system to support them," Davis says. "I believe that if you really want to support the community, that empowering Aboriginal people to become entrepreneurs is key." For Aboriginal communities, he thinks the main challenge is to ensure they are supporting their members in building business and entrepreneurial skills.

Looking forward, Davis would also like to see continued effort on the part of energy firms to engage Aboriginal communities and draw on elders' traditional knowledge to support the environmental work that companies are sometimes required to do. "I don't believe you support the environment by no development, or do development and don't support the environment. I think there is a balance," Davis says. "And I think a fundamental aspect of that balance is using the Aboriginal community's traditional knowledge to meet those environmental needs."

Syncrude, again, is a company that has taken great effort to consult with Aboriginal people, in order to incorporate traditional knowledge into its land reclamation projects. For instance, Aboriginal elders felt it was important that Syncrude bring back native tree species into reclaimed areas. Elders also suggested that Syncrude reintroduce wood bison to a piece of reclaimed land in the boreal forest region. In 1993, Syncrude set up a bison ranch on this land, in partnership with Fort McKay First Nation, which manages the ranch.

Shell Canada is another energy firm that is working with Aboriginal people to improve the environment, and provide educational and career training opportunities at the same time.

Earlier this spring, Shell marked 20 years of environmental investment by awarding four Canadian environmental initiatives each a one-time, $100,000 grant from the Shell Environmental Fund, which provides financial support for grassroots projects that improve and protect the environment. Building Environmental Aboriginal Human Resources (BEAHR), a program administered by Calgary-based Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) Canada, was one of the four grant recipients.

"For Shell, fostering and supporting local communities and working with Aboriginal people are important aspects of our business," says Shell Canada spokesperson Ed Greenberg. "BEAHR is a good fit under the Shell Environmental Fund because of its commitment to the environment."

BEAHR will use the funding to develop a national career development program for Aboriginal environmental professionals. The Shell Environmental Fund "goes a long way into establishing a strong partnership commitment by industry to enhance the Aboriginal workforce," says ECO Canada Director of Marketing and Communications Chris Stewart. "The fund represents a terrific opportunity for industry to connect with Aboriginal communities, and address a drastic shortage in environmental labor in rural areas."

Working in partnership with Aboriginal communities and organizations, industry and government, BEAHR will use the funding to enhance environmental protection in three ways. First, it plans to build awareness among young people about environmental careers; second, it will offer training in environmental careers; and finally, it will provide long-term professional development and support for Aboriginal environmental professionals.

"We want all youth in Canada, and in particular Aboriginal youth, to know about opportunities in the environmental field," Stewart says. "It can be a very fulfilling career path for individuals."

The career training that BEAHR will offer covers six types of environmental positions that companies working in rural areas could require: environmental monitor, environmental site assessment assistant, land use planner, solid waste co-ordinator, contaminated site remediation co-ordinator, and local environmental co-ordinator. BEAHR expects that some trainees, depending on the position, could be ready for work in as early as 12 weeks.

Finally, BEAHR plans to provide long-term professional development and support for Aboriginal environmental professionals, connecting them to ongoing training opportunities and an online support network for sharing experience and mentoring.

Savanna Energy Services has done a great deal to foster strong relationships with Aboriginal communities. The Calgary headquartered drilling contractor has been working in partnership with First Nations for nearly a decade.

"Since 2001, Savanna has introduced great partnerships to the oil and gas industry as a way of fostering and building relationships, with benefits for all parties involved," says Savanna's Business Development and Partner Relations manager Brian Cardinal. "These partnerships bring First Nations communities into the Canadian energy industry as meaningful players, not just as financial participants. From day one, we had to make a template that looked at all the components of making a successful partnership."

Savanna Energy ensures that its Aboriginal joint venture partners are fully aware of what is going on within the business, meeting with them on a quarterly basis for discussions and to address any issues, concerns or recommendations.

"Savanna has done a phenomenal job around ensuring its partners are building business capacity by fully participating in the partnership," says the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business' Davis. The association has recognized Savanna for its innovative programs and leadership in Aboriginal relations, awarding it gold level certification in the CCAB's PAR program.

For Savanna, it is very important that partnership benefits reach throughout the community. "It's not just a financial benefit that attracted First Nations and Métis communities into these partnerships," Cardinal says. "Their biggest dilemma was to look at employment opportunities for community members." In many First Nations communities, he notes, unemployment rates of 60-70 per cent are typical. At the same time, First Nations were seeking opportunities beyond the traditional labor component of oil and gas projects taking place on traditional Aboriginal land.

Savanna has tried to address this need, by making training and employment a key component of its partnerships with Aboriginal communities. "It has been a commitment for Savanna from day one," Cardinal says.

Savanna developed a week-long pre employment training program for First Nations and Métis community members, which encompasses three days in the classroom and two days of hands-on training, including time spent on a training rig at Savanna's yard in Blackfalds. "They do a 12-hour shift, so they get full exposure to the equipment," says Savanna's Partner Relations co-ordinator, Tweela Nepoose.

Taught by a First Nations instructor, the classroom component addresses job readiness issues, including attitude, health, family, finances, and budgeting - all the day-to-day realities involved in joining the workforce.

In addition, to encourage Aboriginal young people to pursue higher education, Savanna provides an annual bursary of $2,500 available to First Nations, Métis and Inuit students who successfully complete their first year in the petroleum technology engineering programs offered by SAIT and NAIT.

"There is a whole cross-section of employment opportunities in the oil and gas sector," Cardinal notes. "It's not just focused on being a lease hand and drilling - there are a lot of opportunities. I graduated out of SAIT in 1982 with a petroleum technology certification certificate. I've been involved in the industry a long time, and it's provided well for me."

Eagle Drilling Services ranks in the Saskatchewan Top 100 companies and is one of the most efficient and respected contract drillers in the oilpatch.

Founded in 2005 by Derrick Big Eagle, the company has worked hard to contribute to the local economy by employing as many local workers as possible. The company also uses as many local services as possible, including parts, supplies and maintenance with an average investment of more than $10 million each year going into southeast Saskatchewan's economy.

In addition, Eagle Drilling manufacturers all of its rigs through a locally based company. All rigs are equipped with the latest in drilling technology, for a safe, fast, reliable and cost-efficient drill.

"The success of our company can be put on the shoulders of our people, the backbone of our company," says Derrick Big Eagle.

Fisher Powerline Construction is a Fort McMurray locally owned Aboriginal company specializing in high voltage powerline construction and maintenance services on overhead and underground distribution and transmission systems and substations.

The company operates in the oilsands and throughout Alberta providing project and construction management and a variety of high voltage specialty services. Encouraging education, the company put into place a policy for employees who want to go to school to get their journeyman's certificate. Fisher Powerline compensates employees 40 hours a week straight time wages while they are in school in exchange for a signed agreement stating that after they have completed their education, they will continue working for the company for at least two years. This policy benefits both the employees and the company.

Currently, one of Fisher Powerline's larger undertakings is a 260-kilovolt construction project using bundle conductor and lattice towers. The towers are more than 130 feet tall and weight over 20,000 pounds.

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