Death of aboriginal-owned businesses is bad for resource firms – The Globe and Mail
Connie Saliwonczyk is a rarity in Canada – an aboriginal female entrepreneur and a firm supporter of the Northern Gateway pipeline.
Her endorsement of Enbridge Inc.’s pipeline is born out of naked economic self-interest. Her company, based in Alberta’s Frog Lake First Nation, operates various oil patch service vehicles, including a vacuum truck for cleaning up small oil spills. She would be in line to bid for work if the pipeline gets built.
“As a businessperson, it would definitely benefit me,” she said. “And it benefits people on the reserve because I hire First Nations people. For me, it’s showing people that anybody can do it.”
Ms. Saliwonczyk notwithstanding, Northern Gateway now faces a potentially drawn-out legal fight with First Nations, primarily in B.C., that could stall or even block the pipeline, thwarting the dream of getting oil sands crude to the Pacific Coast and on to Asian markets.
