Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn Incorporated

Energy East Pipeline: Indigenous Knowledge and Socio-Economic Study

In 2014, TransCanada Energy East filed an application to build the Energy East Pipeline in an effort to transport crude oil from Alberta and Saskatchewan to refineries in Saint John, New Brunswick. Much of the most impactful construction activities associated with this Project were proposed to occur in New Brunswick—in Mi’gmaq territory.

Throughout 2016-2017, Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn Incorporated (MTI) sub-contracted and collaborated with SVS to conduct key interviews in eight of MTI’s member First Nations across New Brunswick to understand how individuals and communities practice their Aboriginal and Treaty rights and to document knowledge they hold about the lands and resources.

Our team coordinated and carried out 140 map biography and oral history interviews. SVS completed extensive training for community liaisons and researchers on conducting and analyzing interviews, data management, validation, transcription, and a variety of other study topics. We then produced a report documenting the results of the study, through a collaborative process with input from MTI staff and their legal team. The report included a socio-economic study that identified key socio-economic values to protect and enhance through the project. We also produced a documentary presenting the perspectives Mi’kmaq people had about the project and the importance of protecting the lands and waters for future generations.

Value for the Client Group

The results of this Study demonstrated substantial land use and occupancy by Mi’gmaq community members across their unceded territory. The study’s final report and other deliverables were submitted to the NEB as part of MTI’s evidence in the NEB’s hearing process, providing a clear picture of the relationship MTI communities have with the lands and waters in New Brunswick and furthering their mandate to “promote and support the recognition, affirmation, exercise and implementation of the inherent Aboriginal and Treaty Rights of its member First Nations.”