EDMONTON – The Alberta government has released a draft plan for managing a contentious area that holds oilsands resources and is also culturally significant to Indigenous People.
The plan for Moose Lake, which is north of Fort McMurray and heavily used by the Fort McKay First Nation, will now go through a period of public consultation.
Alvaro Pinto of Fort McKay’s sustainability department says the draft agreement offers greater protection to the area but still allows development.
He says the First Nation has concerns but sees the draft as progress.
The band has been trying to preserve the lake and adjoining land since 2001.
It says Moose Lake is one of the few areas it has left in the heavily developed region where it can still conduct its traditional practices.
The area became the subject of a lawsuit when the First Nation claimed it hadn’t been properly consulted over plans for an in situ oilsands mine.
