Power deals with Sask. First Nations sought

The provincial government is hoping to streamline procedures for reaching electricity generation agreements between First Nations and SaskPower.

Many First Nations enterprises are developing power sources, such as wind and hydro-electric and there is interest in converting wood waste from forestry into fuel for power generation.

Premier Brad Wall on Tuesday praised the business acumen of First Nations enterprises which are developing power projects.

"In our province we're lucky to have First Nations who have a considerable experience in business and abilities in business," Wall said. "We have Meadow Lake Tribal Council represented here today: they own some of the most dynamic businesses in the province today."

Tuesday'smemorandum of understandingoutlined areas where the province would streamline procedures First Nations would need to follow, in order to sell power to SaskPower, a provincial Crown corporation.

"SaskPower proper doesn't have to own and operate all of the generating facilities to meet ... demand for a growing economy," Wall said, noting that electric generation needs to grow about 2.5 per cent per year over the next ten years.

He said the logical first place to seek new generation capacity is with Saskatchewan's First Nations.

"This is a new era and a time for partnership," Guy Lonechild, chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, said about the agreement on power. "The legal issues that have traditionally held us up are now going to be worked on and we're going to develop and work it together and that's an important step."

Lonechild added that participation in the First Nations Power Authority, a group working on power generation projects, is voluntary and any of the province's 74 First Nations can join.