Stewardship and Respect (Indigenous Strategy/Policy)

Lincoln County Oilfield Service is a fabricator, pipeline, and facility service provider throughout Alberta. Our Strategy/Policy is to assist Indigenous Communities of which we work with meaningful employment and training to employment.  In dialogue with Indigenous Community Leadership and/or their designates, together we work towards a long-term economic sustainability/strategy to continue employing and maintaining skilled Indigenous people.

Lincoln County Oilfield Services believes that meaningful Indigenous relationships rely on trust built over time, along with consistency, and transparency.  We strive for continuous learning to work with Indigenous rights holders, businesses, and organizations to support Indigenous self-determination through inclusion and reflection. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• We acknowledge that we are located on Treaty 6 Territory and Métis homelands and the ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples. A recognition that acknowledges the history of the land is an act towards reconciliation. 

• We acknowledge Indigenous culture, and communities are diverse and there are many different nations, tribes and groups living in many communities. In view of this a ‘one size fits all’ approach will not work, and we need to tailor our ways of working and communicating to meet the needs of the individuals and communities concerned. Many cultural and historical factors need to be acknowledged by individuals who work closely with Indigenous people. Having a greater understanding of their background, puts us in a better position to appreciate both the current impacts these factors have on Indigenous communities and how we can work with Indigenous people. 

• We acknowledge and understand Canada’s framework involves the legal system, educational and religious institutions, corporate sector, and civil society functions in ways that are consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which Canada had endorsed.

• We acknowledge the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and are committed to working with Indigenous People of Canada. 

• We acknowledge that understanding, respecting, and cooperation towards reconciliation is the basis for positive lasting relationships between LCOS and Indigenous Communities. LCOS respects the diverse cultures, languages and the history of Indigenous Communities in Canada.

ENGAGEMENT

As we engage Indigenous Communities in their Traditional Territories with any projects during the early stages of the project’s life cycle, it is very important for us to reach out to Indigenous Communities with early engagement and dialogue to listen, understand, recognize, and acknowledge the Indigenous history in their Traditional Lands.

When working in an area it is very important for us to reach out to local groups with early engagement to listen, understand, recognize, and acknowledge the Indigenous history and the history of the land.  Our planning involves Indigenous perspectives, voices and involvement in decision making. 

COMMMITMENT

Lincoln County Oilfield Services is fully committed in moving forward with Indigenous communities, working with and alongside Indigenous communities and their designates is a part of our commitment towards. As we work towards long-term meaningful and beneficial relationships with Indigenous Communities, these relationships would be based on transparency, respect and trust. 

LCOS honours reconciliation and is building out a corporate plan so that all our employees understand and have the necessary training to support our LCOS policies with an understanding of why this is meaningful and important when working with Indigenous Communities.

VALUES

1. LCOS recognizes and understands the legal and constitutional rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

2. LCOS respects the UNDRIP and the role of governments in Canada in preserving the rights of Indigenous Nations and their members. 
   
3. LCOS provides First Nations Cultural Awareness Training to all our employees and opportunities to continuously educate and engage all our employees in respect to Indigenous Community events, practices, and traditions. 

4. LCOS focuses efforts on engagement, employment, business opportunities, and community investment to maintain sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships with Indigenous Communities. 

5. LCOS will engage Indigenous Communities upon being awarded any projects where there is a form of agreement between LCOS and Indigenous Communities.  This type of engagement is in relation to economic opportunities that may occur on their traditional lands. 

6. LCOS will continue to honor our commitments with dignity and sincerity.

7. LCOS will assist in optimizing qualified employment and contracting opportunities for Band Owned and Band Member Owned Businesses on its local active projects.

8. LCOS ensures that community concerns, issues, or problems are taken seriously.

LCOS is continuous improvement building measurable accountability within the organization to support further change.

Indigenous Partnerships

Through each phase of construction and often through the project various qualified local and Indigenous subcontractors, as determined by Industry Standards, are utilized and vary between projects. These relationships are established and developed through each project.

LCOS’s commitment to the local and Indigenous communities often begins with establishing an informal partnership. These partnerships come in the form of Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U.), Joint Venture (J.V.V), Relationship Agreements (R.A.) and Letter of Intent (L.O.I) through collaboration and commitment between both parties and its designates. Getting involved is not only beneficial to the local communities, but also often stimulating and rewarding for all our employees as well.

Indigenous employment is a top priority at Lincoln County Oilfield Services, and we are proud to have more than 20% Indigenous workforce on our past and current projects We strive to reach a 30% Indigenous workforce on our current and future projects, and we take pride in maintaining those working relationships with Indigenous communities.  

Our company has worked and continues to work with the best intentions regarding Indigenous interest by involving Indigenous Communities in developing a strong commitment in furthering and supporting both LCOS and Indigenous Community initiatives.

Our focus in each of these partnerships is slightly different and normally defined by our partners requirements (Prime Contractor). We respect the relationship and work with Chief and Council, in developing a long-term mutually beneficial business agreements that works for everyone. LCOS is very excited to work with and support local Indigenous groups in the work area and has multiple relationships with Indigenous communities in Alberta.