Cry me a river.   But don't be asking Canadian taxpayers to top up your   
   'losses'.   
   _______________________________   
   CBC News · Posted: Jul 06, 2020   
      
      
   First Nations losing oil revenue amid fall in consumption, drilling   
      
   'More money is being spent than what we are realizing,' chief says   
      
   In a windswept corner of the Blood Tribe land in southwest Alberta is a   
   pumpjack that towers more than three storeys off the ground and reaches three   
   kilometres deep. It's one of only two new wells to be drilled on the First   
   Nation in the last year, as    
   the downturn in the industry has resulted in reduced drilling across Western   
   Canada.   
      
   The well was drilled in December and began operating in February, less than   
   one month before oil prices crashed further as the pandemic spread across the   
   globe. Fuel consumption has fallen sharply as countries continue to react to   
   the virus, while oil    
   production remains relatively high around the globe.   
      
   For First Nations that rely on collecting royalties and rent from oilpatch   
   activity on their reserve land, those funds have quickly dried up. In fact,   
   it's becoming costlier to manage oil and gas production on First Nations land   
   than the amount of money    
   collected from industry.   
      
   Indian Oil and Gas Canada (IOGC) is the federal agency, fully funded by Ottawa,   
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   responsible for overseeing oil and gas production on those lands and has a   
   monthly budget of about $1 million.  In May, when the most recent data is   
   available, the agency only collected about $740,000.   
      
   "It doesn't make sense," said Chief Roy Fox, with the Blood Tribe. "More money   
   is being spent than what we are realizing."   
      
   Fox is keenly aware of the financial situation in the oilpatch, considering   
   there are about 300 oil and gas wells on Blood Tribe land, and the First   
   Nation has a working interest in some of them. Compared to the beginning of   
   the year, revenue from oil    
   and gas activity is down 75 per cent, according to Fox.   
   [- - -]   
   The Indian Resource Council, which represents First Nations with oil and gas   
   reserves on their territory, is calling on the federal government to top up   
   the royalties to a minimum of $4 million per month.   
      
   "These are really troubling times," said Stephen Buffalo, the group's   
   president. "It's very important at this time that our prime minister really   
   look at our communities to see if we can do something extra on the side to   
   offset what has been lost."   
      
   The council has also asked for a special allotment of the funds earmarked for   
   cleaning up oil oil and gas wells in Western Canada.   
      
   Revenues for First Nations have fallen by about 80 per cent in the last decade   
   as commodity prices have fallen.   
      
   The declines "are likely to continue," said Strater Crowfoot, CEO of the IOGC,   
   in an emailed statement.   
   [- - -]   
   ______________________________________   
      
   Sounds like a bad investment - the oil industry.  What the hell is the   
   Canadian government doing, using our tax dollars to support aboriginal oil   
   drilling?   
      
   What we need is a civilian body overseeing shit like this in our government   
   tax spending.  "Doing something extra on the side" is the last thing most   
   Canadian taxpayers would want to see done.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)