INDIGENOUS RELATIONS

We recognize the unique rights of Indigenous Peoples consistent with the principles set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We actively address concerns and potential operational impacts on their rights.

Our approach is based on four key principles that guide our efforts to support Indigenous inclusion and opportunity.

Community | Connect | Partner | Action

Community

We are committed to building strong and respectful relationships with our Indigenous partners. At Ovintiv, fostering trusted and transparent dialogue with the Indigenous communities across our operating areas is part of our culture and how we operate.

Land and Water Stewardship Tours

Field tours offer a unique opportunity for Ovintiv staff to offer a boots-on-the-ground overview of how we do our business and foster meaningful dialogue with our Indigenous partners. We learn about their interests, knowledge and concerns while providing our own insights and awareness of the areas where we operate. Tours also provide a local perspective of oil and natural gas operations and bring to life the reality of resource development, including our efforts to minimize our impacts on the air, land and water.

Indigenous – Land and Water Stewardship Tours

Connect

We recognize the importance of preserving Indigenous culture. We encourage staff across our organization to participate in and gain new perspectives on Indigenous ways of thinking and doing. This includes partnering with local organizations, engaging leaders and participating in community programs.

Listening and learning are essential to being a good partner, which is why we also provide cultural awareness training to employees. In Canada, we are committed to doing our part toward reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples as outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) recommendations. 

Doig River Days – A team of Ovintiv staff spent the day at Doig River First Nations learning first hand about Indigenous ways of being

2022 Spirit of the Peace Pow Wow, Taylor BC

2022 Pemmican Days, Saulteau First Nation

Aboriginal Awareness Week Calgary 2022 – OVV team members participated in an Indigenous Handgames tournament as part of the AAWC Pow Wow.

Indigenous Awareness Training

We are committed to providing all staff with opportunities to engage with and learn about the cultural significance and contributions of Indigenous Peoples to promote greater understanding of our shared history. In addition to internal Indigenous awareness training, we also provide opportunities for employees to engage directly with Indigenous communities and their members to enable further dialogue and deepen employees’ understanding of Indigenous history, cultural distinctions and nekaneew meeskanas (forward path).

Partner

Our relationships with American Indian Tribes and Canadian First Nations in the areas where we operate have been built over the course of months and years and are defined by our mutual commitment to contribute to building resilient Indigenous communities.

Capacity Building and Education

We support Indigenous inclusion through employment and procurement strategies, opportunities for training and capacity building. 

Supporting education is a cornerstone of our Indigenous strategy that provides long-term benefits for the community. Ovintiv is proud to continue providing bursaries as well as books and supplies for Indigenous students enrolled in post-secondary education in Canada and the United States.

We also work closely with Indigenous and Tribal leaders to identify programs that help to build strong and healthy communities.

Elton Blackhair Indigenous Tribe Member Scholarship – Wasatch Academy

Ovintiv and the Wasatch Academy established a $10,000 scholarship for an Indigenous Ute Tribe member attending the Wasatch Academy. The scholarship is named in memory of Elton Blackhair. Elton was an Ovintiv employee, a member of the Ute Indian Tribe, an Academy graduate and was committed to improving relations between various tribes across the United States.

The Wasatch Academy’s mission is to educate students from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds and equip graduates with the educational foundation, personal maturity, and confidence to succeed in life.

The Ovintiv Native American Scholarship – The University of Utah

The Ovintiv Native American Scholarship is offered annually to students from a federally recognized tribe, with a preference for students from the Ute Indian Tribe.

This scholarship will help advance the University of Utah American Indian Resource Center’s (AIRC) mission of recruiting and retaining Native American students through their graduation. The Ovintiv Native American Scholarship provides financial aid to offset the cost of tuition and/or any other education-related expenses to promising students as selected by the AIRC Scholarship Selection Committee. The one-time award of $5,000 is offered to five students for a total annual scholarship commitment of $25,000.

Canadian Post-Secondary Indigenous Scholarships

Ovintiv’s support for Indigenous learning in Canada has been established for several years, however we recently created a new award at the University of Alberta and increased award amounts for our UBC Sauder School of Business and Northwestern Polytechnic scholarships.

University of Alberta – Five awards at $5,000 each
UBC Sauder School of Business – Five awards at $5,000 each
Northwestern Polytechnic – Five awards at $2,000 each
Northern Lights College – Six awards at $1,000 each

These scholarships reflect a total annual commitment of $66,000. Our scholarships are open to students who are Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) to Canada, with a preference given to local students.

In November 2022, Ovintiv was recognized by the Ch’nook Program and the UBC Sauder School of Business for donating over $1 million in our 16-year history of support.

Action

We are committed to creating economic benefit through action and employment. From enhancing inclusive supply chain and hiring practices to making meaningful, strategic investments, we are working to ensure Indigenous-led companies have access to economic opportunities within our operations.

Healing the Land

Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian government developed a program to encourage wellsite reclamation activities beyond compliance obligations, prioritizing sites that were nominated by landowners and Indigenous communities.

Ovintiv responded by assembling a multi-disciplinary team to support our contractors, Indigenous community partners and landowners in identifying and accelerating upwards of $4 million in site reclamation and closure activities in our operating areas. We facilitated Indigenous-affiliated procurement on these projects through joint venture and other contracting partnerships to safely execute this program and heal the land, by way of well abandonment, equipment decommissioning, environmental site assessments, remediation, and reclamation. Without these partnerships, this work would not have been executed for many years.

These mutually beneficial relationships have not only accelerated reclamation efforts, but have enabled Indigenous reconciliation, self-determination, and capacity building in a growing part of our sector.