In 2020, with a $1 billion Federal government cash injection to clean up inactive wells, the Alberta government allocated $100 million of that funding to Indigenous groups with $85 million in funding allocated to First Nations and $15 million to Metis communities.
Currently, over $130 million of the total Federal money allocated to the province remains unspent which the provincial government has confirmed as an estimate and says it is expected to return.
Today, Chiefs from across Alberta called on the Federal government to release this unspent funding, which they estimate is now nearly $135 million to be used by Indigenous people to reclaim even more inactive and orphan wells on their lands.
In a press conference on Enoch Cree Nation lands, Chief Cody Thomas- Enoch Chree Nation, Chief Roy Whitney- Tsuut’ina Nation, and Chief Ivan Sawan – Loon River First Nation, and Indian Resource Council (IRC) President and CEO Stephen Buffalo were joined by Brian Jean, Alberta Minister of Energy and Minerals to call on the Federal government to release the unspent funding
“Under Alberta’s site rehabilitation program (SRP), the government allocated more than $100 million for cleanup projects for First Nations and the Metis,” Stephen Buffalo said. “So, we are doing what we can to keep that program going to maintain the success of the initial First Nation Site Rehabilitation Program. About 350 community members received jobs and skills training. By removing the aging wells and pipelines we can free up land to use for housing and other purposes”
When funding was earmarked to support Indigenous-led projects in 2021, it was celebrated that this was an area where the federal and provincial governments were in “perfect alignment”. According to the IRC release “This spirit of collaboration was good news for the environment, for Canada’s fight against climate change, and for Canada’s First Nations.”
Today’s press conference was a call on the federal government to continue this spirit of collaboration. In addressing the urgency of the need for remediation, Chief Cody Thomas stated:
“We still have many inactive wells on our lands that need to be reclaimed properly. We estimate nearly 2,000 sites which will cost over $225 million. We acknowledge the work that has been done under the SRP but there is more to be done. However, time is not on our side. We have a very limited land base and a growing population. We must do the necessary land stewardship immediately”.
Chief Ivan Sawan added that while many Alberta First Nations have felt the impacts of natural resource developments on their lands and ancestral territories for generations, they were deprived of the opportunity to meaningfully participate or benefit from those resources.
“We are calling on the federal government to do the right thing,” Sawan said. “and release these funds for the environmental and economic purposes they were intended so that First Nations can create meaningful job opportunities, clean up our lands, and create a healthier and more prosperous future for our people.”
Chief Roy Whitney lauded Alberta’s previous SRP accomplishments while supporting the request to retain the funds for more reclamation on First Nation lands.
“Too many oil and gas companies have simply walked away from their obligation to remediate their well sites on First Nation Lands,” Whitney said. “The SRP was a way for First Nations to have abandoned sites reclaimed. Accordingly, it was with great disappointment that we learned that the Federal Government was not going to release the remaining funds for the SRP. We fully support the request for the remaining funds being held to be released to continue the work to clean up our Lands.”
With the support of Alberta Minister of Energy and Minerals Brian Jean and the Alberta government, there is an opportunity for real reconcili-Action, not just more endless consultation.
It is hoped the Federal government will go beyond Minister Wilkinson’s recent comment that there are “no plans to provide additional funding for the clean-up of inactive and orphan wells” and make a bold step to keep the First Nation and Metis workforce that upskilled during the initial SRP working on site rehabilitation on their lands.
Maureen McCall is an energy professional who writes about issues affecting the energy industry