Indigenous communities grapple with new relationship with oilsands industry - Action News
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Indigenous communities grapple with new relationship with oilsands industry

Several Indigenous communities north of Fort McMurray are undergoing a monumental shift in their relationships with the oilsands industry.

Leaders who once partnered with environmentalists and hosted Hollywood stars are now changing course

WATCH: One Indigenous community's complicated relationship with the oilsands

6 years ago
Duration 4:42
Historically Indigenous communities in Northern Alberta have opposed the oilsands. Thats changing. Fourteen Indigenous groups have made deals with Teck Resources whose proposed oilsands project is undergoing an environmental review. But, as the CBCs David Thurton found out, theres still unease in one northern community about the project.

Several Indigenous communities north of Fort McMurrayareundergoing a monumental shift in their relationships with the oilsands industry.

Fort Chipewyan'sIndigenous leaders, who once partneredwith environmentalists and hosted Hollywood starslike Leonardo DiCaprio and Jane Fonda, have nowsigned deals with industry.

Last month,the Athabasca Chipewyanand Mikisew Cree First Nations joined 12 other Indigenous groups in signingparticipation agreements with Teck Resources, which is developing the $20.6 billion Frontier Mine.

CBC News travelled to Fort Chipewyan to speak to the Dene, Cree and Mtis communitiesabout themine.

Watch themini-documentary above to hear howcommunity members are grappling with the new direction the community is taking.

The Frontier Mine is under review by the Alberta Energy Regulator and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.

Connect with David Thurton, CBC'sFort McMurraycorrespondent, onFacebook,Twitter,LinkedInor email him atdavid.thurton@cbc.ca