The Financial Post reports in its Saturday edition that Chris Angeconeb, vice-president of Ontario’s Aurcrest Gold, is trying to forge bonds between his company and nearby indigenous communities over a shared goal: ending their reliance on diesel. The Post’s Sunny Freeman writes that using diesel makes companies and residents subject to blackouts due to shortages as well as leaks and spills. The lack of reliability, volatile pricing, and cost of hauling the fuel has made getting off diesel a priority for both miners and remote communities. Mr. Angeconeb believes that first-nations-owned renewable energy like solar could be a potential solution to two of the biggest challenges faced by miners in remote locations — power generation and inclusion of local indigenous people. Mr. Angeconeb believes that giving them the chance to participate in a sustainable solution will smooth the duty to consult and accommodate process. For instance, after Aurcrest discovered gold at Richardson Lake in 2012, Mr. Angeconeb helped create a clean energy partnership with local first nations, thereby helping indigenous people participate in the economic benefits of the mine, while providing power to their communities at the same time.
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