Aboriginal Law

We help clients navigate Aboriginal law in major projects, securing approvals, building partnerships and managing risks to move developments forward with confidence.
Key Contact
Ignasiak Martin
Mountains

Overview

Our Aboriginal Law Group helps project developers navigate the regulatory process in securing approvals for major energy development projects, including consulting and negotiating with Aboriginal groups and other stakeholders. We draw on our top-tier, cross-departmental expertise in the energy, environmental, corporate commercial, regulatory, litigation and tax arenas in shepherding significant projects through to fruition. We structure and negotiate commercial agreements for projects involving aboriginal rights and interests, as well as debt and equity financing arrangements for projects on aboriginal lands or with aboriginal participation.

,,They really want to see our business succeed. We have established a culture of trust, one of those invaluable intangibles.,,

What Clients Say

 

We understand the risks associated with Aboriginal issues in the context of significant energy development project approvals and work closely with our clients to devise an exposure management plan to identify and manage potential litigation and other issues both pre- and post-closing, including compensation, royalty, surface rights and land access issues. Our unparalleled experience with major development projects enables us to forecast outcomes with a high degree of accuracy.

Client Work

Cranes

with its joint ventures with various Indigenous groups in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories

Frontier

on its PAK Lithium Project including: corporate, finance, regulatory, environmental and aboriginal community relations

Mackenzie Valley Aboriginal Pipeline Group

in the negotiation and structuring of commercial agreements including ownership agreements among various Aboriginal groups
Compensation proceedings before the Métis Settlements Appeals Tribunal respecting oil and gas development on Métis Settlement lands
Advice regarding Aboriginal consultation in relation to energy project developments on reserve lands and traditional lands of various First Nations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, British ...
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First Nations interventions, in various pipeline, oil sands, upgrader, and waste management facility proceedings before the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board and the Environmental Appeals Board
In the Federal Court of Canada, representing a number of petroleum producers in Alberta and in Inuvik, in the successful interpretation of a production license issued ...
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Safari Club International

in their successful intervention in an appeal relating to Métis hunting rights in Alberta. R. v. Kelley

CCS

with an intervention by the Cold Lake First Nation before the Environmental Appeals Board opposing the establishment of an oilfield waste landfill adjacent to reserve lands

CHC International

with the development of Casino Rama

CHC International

with the expansion of the Casino Rama complex and a $225 million loan from the Bank of Nova Scotia, which was used to fund costs incurred in connection with the expansion

CHC International

with its application as a proponent for the Ontario government's proposed charity gaming clubs, which were to be initiated throughout the Province of Ontario

CHC International

in a $160 million term credit facility with the Bank of Nova Scotia and various other financial Institutions

Inuvialuit Petroleum Corporation

in the Inuvik Gas Project with AltaGas and Enbridge including negotiation of joint operating, gathering, processing, and transportation agreements, CO&O agreements and gas sales contracts

Inuvialuit Petroleum Corporation

in its acquisition and divestiture of oil and gas assets in Western Canada

Inuvialuit Land Corporation

in structuring, drafting and negotiating concession agreements regarding the Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk blocks in the Mackenzie Delta

ATCO Frontec

with its joint ventures with Fort McKay First Nation regarding the development of work camp accommodation projects in the Northern Alberta

ATCO Frontec

with its joint ventures with various aboriginal groups in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut

Recognitions

Chambers Canada

Aboriginal Law

Chambers Global

Aboriginal Law

Legal 500 Canada

Indigenous law
 

Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory

Aboriginal Law 

Martin Ignasiak KC

Head of Energy Regulatory

At the centre of market-shaping deals and high-stakes disputes, Bennett Jones delivers clarity, strategy and results. Our cross-border teams turn complexity into progress, always focused on what drives your success.

The Bennett Jones Story

At Bennett Jones, legal solutions are our starting point. What drives us forward is knowing our clients inside and out—their ambitions, obstacles and success metrics.

For more than a century, we have shaped outcomes that matter in business, in law and in the broader Canadian landscape. And our commitment extends beyond legal matters: we invest deeply in the communities in which we live and work.