Fort McKay Traditional Land Use Study: Suncor Base Mine Expansion

Beginning in 2018, Kwusen worked in collaboration with the Fort McKay First Nation on a Traditional Land Use Study (TLUS) in relation to Suncor Energy Inc.’s proposed Base Mine Expansion Project. The TLUS and report were designed to assist the Fort McKay Sustainability Department (FMSD) in assessing the potential impacts of the proposed project on the Traditional Land Use Values, Aboriginal and Treaty Rights, and interests of Fort McKay. Tasks for the study included indoor interviews and groundtruthing with Fort McKay Elders and knowledge holders and a review of existing land-use information relevant to the study area. All interview recordings, notes, and transcripts were uploaded to Fort McKay’s Community KnowledgeKeeper (CKK). Kwusen produced a TLU report that included a detailed ethnographic background, a results section outlining community concerns about the Project effects, and an assessment of Project impacts on Fort McKay’s Treaty and Aboriginal Rights. All information and findings from this study are accessible to FMSD for future use in their Community KnowledgeKeeper database.

 Kwusen has been working with Fort McKay for over a decade. Kwusen’s Director of Research, Towagh Behr, has conducted more than 80 interviews with Fort McKay members, with other Kwusen staff completing dozens more.