Utoo Radio with Other News Sources - May 31, 2024 - First Nations leaders in northern Alberta are uniting against an oil and gas company, Obsidian Energy, that has requested a court order to arrest and jail a chief and members of his nation for a drilling project.

Obsidian Energy has obtained an injunction against the Woodland Cree and their ongoing blockade of access roads, but the RCMP has yet to enforce it.

A legal application filed two weeks ago by the company seeks to compel the police to confront the Woodland Cree and make arrests, which could escalate this local conflict into a national crisis.

The Woodland Cree and Obsidian are currently engaged in mediation talks, but the outcome of those is uncertain and the blockades remain active. Estimates based on the company's daily production and the benchmark price for oil suggest the blockade may be costing Obsidian in excess of $400,000 per day in lost revenue.

Obsidian Energy CEO Stephen Loukas is American, and Cree leaders suspect he is not well-informed on Indigenous rights and consultation duties north of the medicine line.

The Woodland Cree leadership has rejected Obsidian's project, but it has been moving ahead with the province's permission.

The First Nation wants to be consulted on new drilling projects on their traditional territory, a share of the profits extracted from their land, and enhanced environmental standards following an Alberta Energy Regulator report that blamed Obsidian for causing a series of earthquakes in the area.