March 24, 2024 Senator Mary Jane McCallum Member, Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources Senate of Canada Ottawa, ON Dear Senator McCallum; Re: Support for Bill C-226 I am writing in my capacity as chair of the Sahtu Secretariat Inc (SSI), the regional land claim body in the central Mackenzie Valley of the Northwest Territories, to ensure you of our support for your efforts to bring about the passage of Bill C-226,

An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice. SSI has long believed that while Canada’s north can and should be a dependable source of non-renewable resources to support the Canadian economy, we regretfully have to note that while the many benefits from this development go to the south, the impacts remain in the north.

SSI is concerned with current planning by the federal government and a private developer that would see the waste from their operations remain in the north as the projects come to the end of their economic life. The federal government has argued that much of the waste material from the abandoned mines on the eastern shore of Great Bear Lake should simply be placed in a “waste management facility” and left forever at the sites.

The community of Délı̨nę continues to oppose this approach as it is not consistent with the terms of a Governance Agreement signed between the community and Canada in which set as a vision that the sites would be remediated to a standard acceptable to the community. (copy attached) The Norman Wells oilfield has been operating, in one form or another, for just over 100 years and during that time, Imperial Oil, and Canada as a one-third beneficiary from the production, have made billions of dollars in profits from the field.

The residents of the Sahtu Region have received what can only be described as a pitiable portion of that revenue and, in order to receive even that, had to sign a land claim agreement that required them to surrender title to vast areas of their traditional lands to Canada.

And yet, despite all those profits, Imperial Oil Resources, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, clearly set out its preference for the treatment of the waste from the remediation of its Norman Wells oilfield in the company’s notes from a public meeting in which it argued: “Imperial explained the impacts and downsides associated with transporting anything (in this case, soil) great distances by barge and over tundra, as well as the cost implications.

Also noted that the waste was generated from Norman Wells Operations, and a made-in-the north solution is appropriate rather than expecting the south to accept the north’s waste.” 1(underline added) Senator, it is difficult to reconcile environmental justice with these planned actions by Imperial Oil and Canada. The South gets the money; we get the waste. In closing, I encourage you to continue your efforts to have the legislation passed in the Senate and I look forward to working with you and others to advance the environmental rights of Indigenous people here in the Sahtu Region and throughout Canada.

Respectfully, Charles McNeely Chair, SSI cc SSI Board Members Senator Dawn Anderson Ayoni Keh Land Corporation – Deline Gotine Government – Norman Wells Land Corporation – Fort Norman Métis Community – Tulit’a Land Corporation – Yamoga Land Corporation – Fort Good Hope Métis Local #54 Land Corporation. 1 Imperial Norman Wells Waste Management Facility – Norman Wells Engagement

Summary, page 2 & page remediation and post-remediation. Sub-committees of the Operations Committee may be formed by the Parties, as needed. 6. Dispute Resolution The Parties agree to the following dispute resolution principles and process: a. Good-Faith Discussions - The Parties will endeavour to resolve disputes through good-faith discussions or other informal means before moving the dispute to a formal resolution approach. b.

Dispute Resolution Register - Should resolution not be reached, the Parties will have the opportunity to register the dispute on the Dispute Resolution Register to elevate the dispute within the governance structure for resolution. The Register will contain agreed-upon facts of the dispute, a brief statement of the points of disagreement, and, if possible, options for resolution to be discussed. c. Resolution - If a dispute cannot be resolved within the governance structure, it will be comprehensively documented and referred to the Minister of Northern Affairs and the ?ekw'aht1de to resolve. d.

For greater certainty, nothing contained in this agreement or otherwise shall constitute a waiver or relinquishment of any rights and remedies of the Parties regarding any action arising out of this agreement under applicable law or in equity. Agreed: roy Andre overnment Serge Beaudoin, Assistant Deputy Minister Northern Affairs Organization Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada Date: ;2-;1.5,-2/ Date: ------