Canada Will Lose if Frontier Oil Sands is Not Approved, Here's Why

Canada Will Lose if Frontier Oil Sands is Not Approved, Here's Why

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With the federal government’s decision on Frontier oil sands mine coming soon, it’s more important than ever to explain why all us Canadians should put our full support behind this historic project.

If Teck is not allowed to proceed, it will be another nail in the coffin for Canada's oil and gas industry which has seen massive divestment and cancellations of major projects since 2015.

Where does all that capital investment go? To autocratic jurisdictions with less protections for human rights. Shutting down Canadian industry doesn't keep one barrel of oil in the ground. It's a lost opportunity for our country.

Here are several reasons why Canada will lose if the Frontier oil sands project is not approved.

All Indigenous Communities Support Frontier Oil Sands

frontier oil sands first nations support

Frontier is historic in the fact that no other major oil sands project has been backed by all Indigenous communities before. It is even supported by one particular First Nation leader who is known for his opposition to oil sands development.

Teck has had meaningful consultations to have been able to sign agreements with all 14 of these First Nations and Metis communities located within the project’s broader area.

What kind of message would we be sending to these Indigenous communities if Frontier oil sands was not allowed to proceed?

Extensively Reviewed & Recommended by Joint Panel

frontier oil sands person-years of employment

Frontier has undergone an extensive regulatory review and been recommended for approval by a joint provincial and federal review panel.

A lengthy 8-year process with over 100,000 pages evaluating the social and economic impacts of Frontier concluded it's in the public interest.

Should we not follow the recommendations of a joint-panel of professionals who are experts in their respective fields?

Canada's Regulatory Regime Must Work

frontier oil sands tax revenues generated

After a near-decade-long regulatory review and a recommendation of approval, what kind of message would Canada be sending to investors if the Frontier oil sands project was shut down?

Why would any investor want to take a chance of investing hundreds of millions, if not billions to get to a final phase in the regulatory process for a natural resource project in Canada, only to have it not proceed?

We need to send a message to the world that our regulatory regime is independent and working as intended.

Not allowing the Frontier oil sands project to move forward would be a disaster for investor confidence as it would indicate the possibility of interference in the regulatory process which could squander capital investment spent up unto that point.

Oil Demand is Growing, Canada Should Be a Choice Supplier

We Canadians should also support Frontier because global oil demand is forecast to grow for many years to come. Just ask the International Energy Agency (IEA), for example, which found in a current scenario that oil demand is projected to grow by 9.5 million barrels per day between 2019 and 2040.

If oil is to come from anywhere, it should be from Canada, supporting Canadian and Indigenous families, and our governments through public revenue generation.

Why would Canadians not want more of the world's future oil production to come from our own country, bringing about major benefits for our communities?

Economic Benefits for Communities & Government

frontier oil sands 7000 jobs created

Economic reconciliation through natural resource development like Frontier will help lift many Indigenous communities out of poverty and in the process assist them in becoming truly independent nations with their own sources of revenue for things like social programs, infrastructure and education.

The project is forecast to create 7,000 jobs during construction and 2,500 during operations, many of which will be filled by regional workers both Indigenous and non-Indigenous.

It comes at a time when Canada's natural resource sector has been hit hard and could use a boost through a $20.6 billion investment.

What kind of message are we sending to the millions of Canadians directly or indirectly employed as a result of our natural resource sector?

Say "YES" to Teck

It’s clear that Frontier is a historic project with its approval by regulators, agreements with First Nations, and leadership on other initiatives. Now is the time to give it a historic approval, and say “yes” to Teck!