Peter Knofler: I disagree that the pipeline will hurt natives. It empowers natives and others. The oilsands are the leading employer of Indians in Canada. Billions of dollars wages are paid and contracts are given to natives in the oilsands region. One band, the Fort McKay Band, are sitting on 500 million barrels and will do a joint venture with a company to get it out. The band numbers about 700 so that means about 700 thousand barrels each. Royalty would’ve given them 12%. Joint venture might do 20% for them. Let’s see 700 thousand barrels at $100 times 20%. $14 million for each man woman and child. Could you get by on that?

If you want to see what the oil industry means to the Janvier Cree band search You-tube for ‘Ezra Levant on Greens Keeping down Indians’. You’ll see an interview with Chief Vern Janvier in which he describes his bands contracts which bring in $50 million from oil cos and the joint ventures they get into do $100 million per year. Not too bad for a reserve with only 180 members don’t you think?

Folks in the US will benefit as well. Long term. The state of Montana says it will get $63 million in property taxes per year from Keystone XL for its 281 mile stretch of line. In a state with an ave household income of $35 thousand this would equate to 1800 households supported. Plus an onramp for Montana and N Dakota Bakken production will take about 100 thousand bpd from them and so more jobs will be produced there.

Lots of reward. Little risk. But some in the native community want a risk free pipeline. Nothing in life is risk free. But Canadian bands live in third world conditions in many areas. They are currently under great personal risk just in their everyday lives: poverty, 80% unemployment, poor water, poor housing, higher rates of suicide, crime, family violence, addiction, incarceration. Diseases like TB that are rarely heard of in the outside community occur on the reserves. They’re leading high risk lives but demand a no risk pipeline. The line could help them out of poverty and improve their lives through the prosperity from development. Not by itself but it would help. Unfortunately certain enviro groups, many foreign, have convinced than to reject prosperity at minimal risk and embrace their current squalor. Sad.