Technology Cooperation and Capacity Building - CommDev

TECHNOLOGY COOPERATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING… Case Study SevenImperial Oil in northern CanadaNorthern Aboriginal hiring and training has been slow.But progress has been made, and efforts continue today.The Norman Wells oilfield is a complex, technicaloperation which demands a high level of training and skillson the part of the people who operate it. The company iscommitted to helping Northerners acquire the necessaryskills through programmes such as the NorthernDevelopment Program and a scholarship programmeaimed at helping students from the Sahtu region pursuecareer paths in the petroleum industry. Throughprogrammes such as these and preferential hiring practices,Imperial intends to continue increasing its Northernemployment content.Business developmentTo develop Northern business capability to support oilfieldoperations and ensure Northern benefits withoutjeopardizing cost, schedule, quality, safety or environment,the company developed specific guidelines and businesspractices to maximize the participation of local businesses.These included:● providing business advice and assistance to encouragedevelopment of new local companies with potential forlong-term economic viability;● working with local businesses to ensure they are aware ofopportunities, bidding procedures, safety requirementsand invoicing;● Northern content adopted as a specific determinantwithin ongoing contracting procedures;● encouraging all contractors to adopt and follow thesepolicies and procedures as they pertain to Northernbusiness and employment.‘People in all the communities have a hard time finding jobs.The contracts with Esso give us the opportunity to go intobusiness. The way it’s set up, we don’t have the same people onthe jobs all the time. The workers will be able to get out into thebush, too. It’s good.’Community involvementThe significant growth in Norman Wells brought about bythe expansion of oilfield operations might have strainedexisting facilities and services had it not been for theincreased support in such areas as town planning, education,social services and recreation. Imperial has been extensivelyinvolved in a number of improvements which have madeNorman Wells a better place to live. These include:●●●Chief George BlondinFort Franklin Dene Corporation, 1982building a new school, recreation facilities such as ahockey arena and curling rink, a new housing subdivision,street and road improvements, a new telephonesystem, and a museum;ongoing community partnerships and servicearrangements; for example, Imperial generates electricityand supplies natural gas for the town of Norman Wells;an ongoing agreement with the town of Norman Wellsto provide joint fire protection services;Key contracts awarded to native Northern businessesincluded drilling and well servicing, refuse managementservices, security services and office leasing. In 1983, a newdrilling and well servicing company called ShehtahDrilling was formed, a joint venture of Imperial Oil, theMetis Development Corporation and the Dene Nation.Shehtah continues to operate successfully today, providingall drilling and servicing work required by Imperial, as wellas other upstream operators in the Sahtu region. Thecompany owns and operates one drilling rig and twoservice rigs.Local Aboriginal contractors played a major role in the expansionproject, especially in the building of the artificial islands.40