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[forwarded by Pat Morris. Thanks...]

http://www.canoe.ca/WesternTicker/CANOE-wire.Alta-Native-Funding.html
January 25, 2000

Ottawa signs economic funding agreement with First Nations in
northeastern Alberta

FORT McMURRAY, Alta. (CP) -- Ottawa has committed $750,000 to
developing the economies of a group of First Nations in northeastern
Alberta.

Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault was in Fort McMurray Monday to
sign a funding agreement with the Athabasca Tribal Council. The
money is to support the First Nations' economic infrastructure,
business development and economic spinoffs.

"The whole objective is to create an aboriginal economy," Nault said.
"It's a simple strategy but there's a lot of work that needs to
be done."

The strategy brings together major resource companies,
the Athabasca First Nations and federal, provincial and municipal
governments to ensure the First Nations are involved and benefit
from the development of the oilsands.

"The fastest growing labour force that corporations up here would
have is the aboriginal people and so it makes a lot of sense to
marry those two interests," said Nault.

Phil Lachambre of Syncrude Canada said the involvement of
Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries showed the agreement crossed
industry lines, something that would serve the First Nations after
the oilsands developments were gone.

"We don't see this as a one-shot, short-term kind of a deal,"
Lachambre said. "We're both going to be here a long time and after
the plants are gone the aboriginal communities will still be here,
so we started the discussion around what makes sense for the
longer term."

Jim Boucher, chief of the Fort McKay First Nation and president of the
tribal council, said the signing is important to address long-term
benefits, the environment, employment and training and infrastructure
for aboriginal people.

(Fort McMurray Today)
 
 

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