2024 Agenda
Day 1
April 9, 2024
Conference Registration Opens and Coffee Served
The Impact of Recent Disputes and Legislation: Lessons Learned and Implications for Future Resource Development in Canada and Future Collaborations with Indigenous Groups
Sander DuncansonPartner, Regulatory, Indigenous & EnvironmentalOsler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Lorenzo RosePartnerSequoia Legal LLP
- Overview of the Blueberry River Court decision and its potential impacts for future resource development – Including:
- Duncan’s First Nation v. Alberta
- Discussion of cumulative effects policy developments, including the Blueberry River First Nations Implementation Agreement
- Challenges implementation – Judicial reviews by Halfway River First Nation and Doig River First Nation
Aligning Canadian Impact Assessment Processes with the Principles of United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – What Needs to be Considered for Project Approvals
Adam LevineTeam Leader, Indigenous Relations and Participation FundingCanadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Cheyenna HuntDirector, Lands & ConsultationEnglish River First Nation Des Nedhe Group of Companies
Janna SwitzerVice President of Environment, Sustainability, RegulatoryDenison Mines
- How are federal agencies, industry and Indigenous peoples working together in the decision making process? How does industry become a valuable partner in these decisions?
- How can industry best prepare for a successful assessment process? How can they get through regulatory applications whilst staying within the principles of UNDRIP?
Networking Luncheon
PANEL
Regional/Strategic Environmental Assessment in Western and Northern Canada: Provincial, Federal and International Perspectives
Jeff Rempel, MSc, PMP, EPExecutive Committee Board Member and Program DirectorIAIA-WNC
Katie RosaPolicy AdvisorEnvironment and Climate Change Canada
Miles Scott-BrownLeaderCiera Group
Raymond CardinalRegional DirectorIAIA Western and Northern Canada
- This session will focus on the opportunities and challenges associated with seeking relevant data and information, requesting and completing strategic/regional assessments and the linkages to cumulative effects for project development in Western and Northern Canada.
- Case studies that may be explored include consideration of:
- Federal and Provincial/Territorial jurisdiction.
- Various industries and infrastructure projects.
- International perspectives that could be applied to Canada.
- Indigenous Interests and alignment to Indigenous-led assessment.
- Results-oriented next steps, including how the R/SEA information, including the underlying data, can be used by project proponents, regulatory authorities, Indigenous Nations, Environmental Non-government organizations and local communities.
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES PANEL
Balancing Project Advancements with Cumulative Effects, Indigenous Rights and Regulatory Processes
Michaela BjorsethManager, Community and Indigenous EngagementEnbridge
Lara TaylorPrincipalLEGACY Environmental
Jeremy BarrettoPartnerCassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
- Understanding current requirements and timelines
- Application of new regulations; how is industry addressing Indigenous treaty rights and early engagement?
- Insights on integrated approaches to natural resource management
Networking Refreshment Break
Cliffton CrossCouncil MemberFrog Lake First Nations
Frog Lake First Nations have embarked on an intergenerational plan to transform our nation and lands from reliance on oil and gas extraction to pioneering leadership in clean energy. To do so, we have developed the Legacy Energy and Alternative Power (LEAP) Master Plan which is a strategy for reclaiming our land base from oil and gas wells and turning them into assets which will help to repair the scars on our land, and to pioneer technologies that will enable other First Nations to do the same. Our nation members on and off reserve have made it clear that we need to plan and act to create new collaborative economic and social development opportunities for our region, and to collaboratively build resilience and self-sufficiency against challenges highlighted by the pandemic and recent climate-related disasters.
- Understanding the LEAP plan to integrate investments and innovations in energy, transportation, food and water sovereignty and economic sustainability across Canada
- Building Indigenous talent in clean energy and related technologies to create new sustainable energy and related infrastructure
- Determining the implementation of the strategies in LEAP and what it will mean for the future
Conference Adjourns to Day Two
Day 2
April 10, 2024
Registration & Continental Breakfast
Effective Practices for Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge into Projects at the Environmental Assessment and Regulatory Process Stages
Adam LevineTeam Leader, Indigenous Relations and Participation FundingCanadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Cliffton CrossCouncil MemberFrog Lake First Nations
Devin GamblerPrincipal OwnerPamihtâw Consulting Inc.
- Understanding how Indigenous Knowledge can be meaningfully incorporated into both environmental assessments and regulatory processes for major projects
- How to bring together western science effectively and respectfully with Indigenous Knowledge as part of the regulatory approvals process and throughout the life cycle of a project
- How the assessment of cumulative impacts on Indigenous and treaty rights has been considered, how it compares to the assessment of cumulative environmental effects, and how it could be improved
- Comparative analysis of science and Indigenous Knowledge
Assessing Cumulative Effects in the Athabasca Dene Traditional Territory (Nuhenene) of Northern Saskatchewan
Bruce HanbidgeStrategic AdvisorYa'thi Néné Land and Resource Office
Kathy HayManager of Corporate AffairsYa'thi Néné Land and Resource Office
The boreal forest region occupies the northern third of the province of Saskatchewan. It is the home range of the least fragmented population of woodland caribou in Canada, it is the homeland of the Athabasca Denesųłiné people, and it contains the Athabasca Basin, which is the site of intensive and expanding exploration and extraction of uranium and rare earth metals. Due to insufficient control of cumulative effects by government and industry; the Woodland Caribou (WLC), the overall ecological integrity of the area and the Denesųłiné culture are increasingly under threat. This session will detail the issues and the efforts of an Indigenous culture to protect and preserve their land while concurrently supporting mineral exploration and extraction at a level that is ecologically and socially sustainable. Topics to be address include:
- Understanding the issue at hand, the background and the landscape of cumulative effects
- Determining the project goals and methodology to address the issue
- Evaluating the findings and conclusions to date
Networking Refreshment Break
Kate KemptonSenior CounselWoodward & Company LLP
- Exploring how cumulative effects are being considered in the Ring of Fire (ON)
- What are the challenges of implementing a regional, indigenous-led and sustainability-informed impact assessment? What has happened, what came and went? What are the next steps?
George HegmannVice President, Environmental ServicesStantec
Peter ForresterOf CounselNorton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Chris JosephPrincipalSwift Creek Consulting
This panel discussion will provide insight and perspectives on CEA, lessons learned and projections for the future.
- Discussion of the fundamental drivers in project assessments and projections for the future of large-scale project development in Canada
- How can cumulative effects management be more robust and inclusive?