LandKeepers News Archive
Necessity of a new relationship
January 14 2009 | News Articles | Smithers Interior News
Necessity of a new relationship
Published: January 14, 2009 8:00 AM
(Comment submitted to the Smithers Interior News, author unknown)
It has been deeply disturbing and challenging to watch the meltdown of the global financial markets over the past few months. Much pain and suffering remains and will include lower demand and prices for the commodities that are the backbone of our B.C. businesses and the B.C. economy and, of course, accompanied by related employment losses and reduced revenues and taxes.
On a positive note, over the past 10 years a number of significant, advanced projects are now positioned to move forward, ranging from oil and gas to bioenergy to minerals and mining. These projects, if they obtain vital approvals and can raise capital, have huge potential to create substantive new employment, provide new tax revenue and contribute to community stability. There are however many challenges and obstacles that discourage this much-needed investment including: Government bureaucracy and approval delays; community and First Nations perceived, as well as, real resistance
Together, these deter the ability to raise capital. B.C. is competing in the global marketplace for severely limited capital that is required to develop projects. The global financial institutions are extremely cautious of where they will allocate the limited financial resources to support the construction of new projects.
There are two keys that could provide part of the solution to move forward with development:
B.C. First Nations and the business community commit to create their own “New Relationship” that is based on trust and respect and delivers the certainty that both are seeking. Business can be a key mechanism for the delivery of local training, employment and economic prosperity for local communities and First Nations. First Nations need to be involved in all stages of project assessment to ensure projects are acceptable from a social, cultural and environmental perspective in order to provide for community support;
Governments commit to work in a cooperative and solutions-based manner with business to explore, resolve and develop environmentally and economically sound projects. A key feature of this is adopting a new cooperative process for developing environmentally-sound projects, which share the project benefits and address local and First Nations concerns, needs and desires, but also results in project and investor certainty. Call this the adoption of a new “solutions-based get to yes” attitude.
First Nations, Government and business need to stand united on the global stage – to collectively send the message that “B.C. is a great place to invest and develop projects – B.C. is open for business!”
While global financial markets melt down, many B.C. First Nations Communities continue to live in third world conditions with the poorest health and education standards in Canada, unacceptable suicide rates, and unemployment rates that often exceed 85 per cent. The creation of local economic development, training and employment will not solve all the problems but it is a good first step.
I encourage First Nations and the business community to take the step to look at the huge opportunity that exists for the creation of a “New Relationship” between B.C. First Nations and the business community. If done right, the global investment and business community is bound to sit up and take notice of the foresight, leadership and many amazing investment opportunities that B.C. offers.
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