Oilsands Quest Signs Deal With Village Of La Loche

Oilsands Quest Signs Deal With Village Of La Loche

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 15:46

It took two years of work, but the village of La Loche has signed a memorandum of understanding with Oilsands Quest.

The deal commits the parties to work together to identify and address economic benefits — as well as environmental, social and other potential impacts on La Loche — stemming from the company’s exploration activities on its permit lands in the region.

La Loche Mayor Georgina Jolibois says she is very pleased with the progress that has been made in negotiations.

She notes there are already people from the community working for Oilsands Quest at its drilling sites in the region — so the MOU is more of a formal agreement.

Jolibois says, as a municipality, there is always a chance that her community can be taken advantage of in this sort of development — but she says this deal ensures La Loche has a say.

She adds that while it is a step in the right direction, there is still much work that needs to be done for her community — including meaningful employment, training, and a number of other opportunities.

Oilsands Quest says it has followed a policy of employing workers from La Loche ever since it began exploration activities near the community in 2005.