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Northern
Dene Enterprise Ltd. now in business
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January 21, 2000
Northern
Dene Enterprises Limited (Northern Dene) announced its grand opening
in Fort McMurray on January 21, 2000. The newly incorporated 1 00% First
Nation owned company enables First Nations people to break into the oil
and gas industry and it reunites Dene communities .
Northern
Dene is jointly owned by Chipewyan Prairie First Nation (510/o), English
River First Nation (38.9%), Whitefish Lake First Nation (10'/o) and itself
(.1'/o). The sole shareholder is Tron Power Inc.
Tron
Power, Regional Finalist in Canada's 50 Best ManagedCompanies in 1999,
will manage the new company. Tron Power will be responsible for hiring,
and has appointed its own Jim Elliot to spearhead the project. The partners
express confidence in Tron's abilities.
"I
am excited about the partnership," said Chief Walter Janvier of Chipewyan
Prairie First Nation. "It gives us an opportunity to participate
in oil company development in northern Alberta. We have the largest oil
deposit in the world and our communities have not benefited from it. They
always told us we need the experience, reputation and money. Now we will
have it all. Now it is time to do business."
From
its million-dollar facility in Fort McMurray, Northern Dene will provide
services in pipe and structural steel fabrication and installation, and
general contracting.
"I
am really looking forward to seeing the outcome of this joint venture.
1 am confident that we are going to be successful. Northern Dene will
finance some of our programs here at English River and create employment
for a lot of our people," says Chief Archie Campbell of the English
River First Nation.
Janvier
adds, "The joint venture will bring the Dene people a lot closer.
We have been separated in the last hundred years by borders and treaties.
This partnership will help to reunite us. And there is no limit to where
this venture can go."
ATC
congratulates you Walter on this very promising venture. This partnership
is proof of what's possible for our First Nations with the commitment
of its leadership.
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