Government teams up with Indigenous group on unusual project expected to benefit 10,000 homes — what to know

The Burchill Wind project is an example of the government working with Indigenous communities to harness natural resources in a responsible way, according to the NB Media Co-op. 

The project involved installing wind turbines on land belonging to Indigenous peoples, providing enough power for 10,000 or more homes each year. It acknowledges the ways that the Indigenous people want to steward the land well while still looking for opportunities for economic development in the area. 

While the government of Canada now acknowledges the rich, deep culture of the Indigenous people who occupied the land first, that wasn't always the case. Facing History & Ourselves reminds us that many Native Canadians were sent to residential schools and generally pushed off land they had occupied for generations, so it could be developed regardless of its cultural significance or the desires of the people who were there first. 

The chief of the Neqotkuk people, who are indigenous to the area, mentioned the partnership, saying, per the NB Media Co-op: "We've got reserve here … but we've never really had a footprint for business, for economic development, for relationship building with the city." 

Projects like Burchill Wind aim to change that script, showing how working toward clean energy can bring the government and Indigenous people together, rather than driving them further apart. It doesn't hurt that this project also provides both Indigenous people and settlers with more stable, less expensive energy options. 

It also makes them more energy-independent, since they won't have to look outside their area for as much of their electricity. Projects like these often create new and different jobs, too, allowing for additional economic growth in the area. That is, of course, in addition to the fact that using wind energy can lower pollution rates in an area. 

Other power-focused projects, like solar projects and power grid updates, or signing up for community solar, can help, too. Whether you are liaising with Indigenous people or not, making smart choices about power benefits us all.   

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