Aboriginal Peoples

ConocoPhillips Canada respects the special connection between Aboriginal peoples and the land. We work to incorporate local, traditional, ecological knowledge and land use information into the planning, design and construction of our facilities and related operations.

Aboriginal communities have told us they appreciate our efforts to involve them in our project planning and, based on their feedback, we have taken steps to be more inclusive by involving Aboriginal communities earlier and being more responsive to suggested mitigation measures.

Earlier Engagement

ConocoPhillips Canada meets regularly with Aboriginal communities to listen, inform and discuss our ongoing development plans. The community feedback obtained through these meetings is incorporated into our planning process.

We specifically adapted our long range planning process to include the consideration of Aboriginal interests. Earlier identification of these interests allows us more time to work with the communities to develop mutually beneficial solutions to the issues brought forward. One ongoing example of how this approach has made our engagement more proactive is the incorporation of culturally and environmentally sensitive areas into our planning process. This knowledge is built on cumulatively every year and is based on the information shared by Aboriginal communities. Based on this knowledge, ConocoPhillips Canada is able to avoid these areas or engage with communities earlier to address and lessen potential concerns.

Responsive Mitigation

Our engagement with Aboriginal communities has led to responsive solutions. For example:

• In 2009, we worked closely with the Blueberry River First Nation in northeastern British Columbia to avoid the potential impacts of our proposed pipeline on a squirrel midden. Squirrel middens are the piles of debris that squirrels leave after feeding which can be used to hide or store food for the winter. A field review conducted by a community elder and land representative discovered the midden on our proposed pipeline right-of-way. Though not specifically protected, squirrel middens are an important habitat feature to the Blueberry River community and an indicator of a dynamic ecosystem.
• In 2008, we worked with the Aseniwuche Winewak Nation in the Grande Cache area of northwestern Alberta to pilot a web-based portal that serves as a single point of entry for project information. The portal was rolled out by the Aseniwuche Winewak Nation to our industry peers in the spring of 2010. It will ensure the timely and organized receipt of development plans, allowing the community to be better informed and to identify concerns earlier in the development process.