To honour and respect Indigenous Knowledge, a Sharing Agreement is being developed with each community who chooses to participate in the Indigenous Knowledge Program. The agreement(s) outlines how confidential and sensitive information will inform the assessment processes and how it will be protected. Funding has also been made available to participating communities. To create a holistic assessment process, Indigenous Knowledge and Indigenous Land and Resource Use is needed to:
Provide an understanding of Aboriginal Rights and Interests related to the Project and to identify potential impacts to Rights.
Better understand the existing environmental conditions.
Help to identify and understand Aboriginal and Treaty Rights and Interests.
Inform field programs.
Identify potential areas or sites that we may need to avoid.
Help predict potential Project effects.
Find ways to avoid or minimize potential Project impacts.
Identify and develop monitoring program.