Ridley Terminals and Coast Tsimshian announce terms of new agreement

"Forging a new relationship with the Coast Tsimshain [first nations] simply makes good business and economic sense,"-- Dan Veniez outlining the genesis of today's announcement with the communities of the Coast Tsimshian.

It's a new arrangement on the current business plan for Ridley Terminals, as members of the Coast Tsimshian will be offered first right of refusal on all future capital contracts awarded by Ridley Terminals.

That was the outcome of today's announcement at Chances convention centre, as Dan Veniez, President of Ridley Terminals and John Helin, chief councillor of the Tsimshian community of Lax Kw' alaams, Elmer Derrick, from the Gitxsan First Nation and Chief Councillor of the Metlakatla First Nation, Harold Leighton, praised the new vision of cooperation from Ridley Terminals and outlined the nature of the new relationship between Ridley Terminals and the Coast Tsimshian.

According to an online story posted on the Vancouver Sun website, The Coast Tsimshain communities will be given an opportunity to bid on, or form business partnerships with other firms to bid on, all request-for-proposal worth more than $500,000.

In order to make that feasible, Ridley is expected to "make commercially reasonable efforts" to solicit first nations' participation by breaking up large contracts into smaller components that they can handle.

Exactly what kind of ventures the two will partner on has yet to be determined or announced, but a better idea on those issues may come within thirty days.

As part of the announcement today, the two parties agreed to form a Joint Implementation
Committee, tasked with developing open and frank dialogue between Ridley and the Coast Tsimshian as they relate to all matters pertaining to new projects at the Terminal.

The Joint Implementation Committee will also review and consider all aspects of such projects and performance under the terms of the new agreement.

Vancouver Sun-- Natives offered first-refusal rights on Prince Rupert coal terminal capital contracts

Tsimshian and Ridley Terminals to sign Economic Opportunities Agreement

The words being used are groundbreaking and a model for future partnerships between First nations and the private sector, and we'll apparently learn all the details on it this Thursday.

A press release came out late on Tuesday night announcing that officials from Ridley Terminals and the Coast Tsimshian Nation will take part in a traditional ceremony on Thursday at 10 am at Chances Convention Centre, that to herald the delivery of a unique Opportunities agreement between the two.

The new agreement will provide for the First Nations in this community to have the
opportunity to build business capabilities and develop new skills. Few of the details of the arrangement have been released yet, no doubt as both groups wait until Thursday's ceremony to reveal the actual items of interest in that arrangement.

But it certainly is being trumpeted to the national media, in the press release the agreement to be announced to the gathering on Thursday will provide for the "potential to become a model for positive, proactive relationship development and new economic partnerships between First Nations and the private sector all across the country."

The agreement to be revealed on Thursday comes amid the growing controversy over the fate of the Terminal property in Prince Rupert and Chairman Dan Veniez's efforts to move it away from its current Crown Corporation model and towards a private enterprise option.

.

It's not the first time that the thesaurus has been pulled out by the PR people in regard to a meeting between the two groups, back in October of 2008 a similar agreement and signing ceremony was hailed as historic, when the two groups met once again at Chances to outline the details on that agreement, one that was to provide for employment opportunities for local members of the First Nation as well as scholoarship and sports funding.

.

It will be interesting to learn this week, how the deal to be revealed on Thursday fits into those previous plans and if it may have an impact on future conversations and decisions to take Ridley into private hands.