Representatives of 21 Indigenous Communities have been meeting this week to discuss energy projects in the province and continue the conversation about having an ownership stake in the Trans Mountain pipeline.

Chief of the Whispering Pines Indian Band Michael Lebourdais says next week he will be meeting with Natural Resources and hopefully the Ministry of Finance to keep the lines of communication open about what their interests are. “We have a financial partner. We have an operations partner now. And so, we want to put that team in front of Canada and say listen, this is how we expect to buy the pipeline. We have a funder who will lend us the capital and we have a world class operator that will help us operate the pipeline.”

“They’re all excited about having put their members to work and get them those good paying jobs over the next couple years. But, more importantly they’re looking at the integrity of the pipeline over the next 20 years. So, those are the kinds of things we’re trying to focus on when it comes to this kind of infrastructure project.”

Lebourdais also spoke on the feds announcing $6 million to help indigenous communities in BC and Alberta increase participation in energy products. He says they are looking at ways to take advantage of those funds as well. Natural Resources Canada Announced the funding to help increase indigenous participation in energy projects in BC and Alberta, and Chief of the Whispering Pines Indian Band says accessing those dollars is among the conversations being had at a meeting with 21 communities this week. Lebourdais says it could be used to help continue projects such as a partnership with TRU to train people for projects like the Trans Mountain expansion. “Work in conjunction with Thompson Rivers University on the Tulo Centre of Indigenous Economics and so through that centre we host a whole bunch of training in and around Kamloops where we look at the resource industry and how we can meaningfully participate in that.”