Alberta premier wants Ottawa to approve Teck mine for benefit of First Nations

CALGARY — Alberta’s premier says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau needs to move swiftly to approve the Teck Frontier oilsands mine north of Fort McMurray.

Jason Kenney says there is no reason to delay the go-ahead of the $20.6-billion project near Wood Buffalo National Park in northeastern Alberta.

A federal-provincial review last summer determined Frontier would be in the public interest, even though it would be likely to harm the environment and Indigenous people.

Kenney says the government has to stop listening to a handful of Aboriginal leaders when the majority of them are in favour.

He says reconciliation should mean saying “yes” to economic development for First Nations people.

Kenney says his government will provide Indigenous communities with up to $250 million to invest in major resource projects such as the Trans Mountain Pipeline and the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northeastern British Columbia.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2020

The Canadian Press