Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I appreciate the witnesses being here today. As the only Alberta member of Parliament on the fisheries and oceans committee, I spend a lot of time talking about fisheries, and not that much time talking about oceans. But I certainly can appreciate the complexities when dealing with oil and gas or the energy sector in regard to how it operates within Canada.
I'm going to ask a couple of questions. You have engaged in scientific undertakings for the purpose of gathering information for making an assessment of whether or not the activity is worth pursuing in the future, notwithstanding that you're shooting in the dark not knowing what the NEB's requirements will be. Given those uncertainties, could you provide this committee with any idea of how many more research projects there might be, and the times of the year, in order for you to have enough information to adequately address environmental impact assessments and satisfy the Department of Fisheries and Oceans?
Secondly, when it comes to collaboration, how have your companies engaged the local communities, in particular the rural and isolated communities? How are they being invited to participate in any of these processes, and what is their acceptance of your exploration activities to date?