Building Indigenous inclusion and engaging with our communities
Our respectful approach has enabled us to build strong relationships and an environment of respect and trust with communities, Indigenous peoples and customers.
Our approach
We believe our long-term success depends on our ability to build effective, mutually beneficial relationships with the people and communities near our operations in the U.S. and Canada. Coordinated, comprehensive management systems guide our approach, which is grounded in respect for our stakeholders and our commitment to foster open, transparent and meaningful dialogue with our neighbors.
We recognize and respect Indigenous communities as distinct peoples, with their own cultures and priorities. Wherever our operations neighbor with Indigenous communities, we seek to partner and engage with them to reduce our operational impacts and maximize the social and economic benefits we can bring. Our Indigenous Peoples Policy outlines the key principles that guide our engagement with Indigenous nations and groups in areas where our assets are proximate to their lands and resources. In 2019, we reached out to Indigenous communities to help inform our Indigenous Lifecycle Engagement Framework—an evolution of our approach to work more strategically with Indigenous communities on shared goals, and to build and sustain long-term relationships across our business.
We engage with communities and landowners on an ongoing lifecycle basis, guided by our Regional Engagement Planning program. We get to know, and listen to our neighbors and local officials through open houses, public meetings and informal discussions. We treat each project and community as unique and focus on engaging early in the planning process to listen, learn and understand community needs and interests. Our goal is to establish enduring relationships based on trust and respect.
Enbridge engages with emergency officials throughout the U.S. and Canada in a multitude of ways. These include in-person visits, Safe Community grant donations, liaison and group meetings, conference/trade show participation, online pipeline emergency response training available through the American Petroleum Institute and Association of Oil Pipe Lines and drill/exercise participation.
Highlights
Spotlights
‘Enbridge came to the table right away’
Chief Willie Sellars shares his perspective on the Williams Lake First Nation's work with Enbridge, and how industry and First Nations can work to align interests and economic engagement.
Indigenous reps join Alberta emergency response drill
An Enbridge emergency response drill in summer 2019 in Alberta had some special guests—eight members of the Line 3 Replacement Program’s Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committee.
Community Open Houses: Who we are, what we do (watch video)
At Community Open Houses like the one we held in Grand Rapids, MN, in early April 2019, residents can learn more about Enbridge’s operations, community outreach and relentless focus on safety.
Related links
More information and examples of our community engagement and Indigenous inclusion.
