To start off with, we have a very constructive relationship with the first nations. As I said earlier, we recognize the need to engage with them and to try to engage with them in a meaningful way.
The EIA working group, we believe, provided a tremendous forum. It was more than talking about what the EIA requirements are. Once you start explaining to everyone that the EIA is about studying the impacts on the environment, then obviously it becomes very easy to then talk with the first nations about what's important to them, what's sensitive to them, and what they know about the area that we should know about earlier on in the piece so that we take those aspects into consideration.
I think that provided a forum for those discussions, and as a result of that, where we could come up with accommodation or mitigation, we did. In the case of our project, we moved the tailings footprint a little bit to avoid one area that potentially had a higher potential for fish habitat. We shifted the footprint of it. This was earlier in the project design.
As well, we were able to understand what the needs are from the various first nations. For example, we know that they have very little capacity, and so we were able to provide jobs where we could. You have to understand that at this stage of the project development, the exploration had already been done, so there was not a tremendous amount of activity on site, and as a project that's going through an EIA process, we are not building anything, so again, there's not a lot of activity on site.
However, to the extent that we had employment, we gave obviously all the first nations a heads up on what our needs were, and the timing, and worked with their folks to try to fill those needs. We responded to requests for a variety of levels of funding, and needless to say, the company understands that we have to pick up all the expenses associated with the EIA working groups—the travel, the per diems—and we do, without any problems.
We offered to fund traditional knowledge studies. Although this is not a requirement in the EIA, we understood this to be a very important aspect for first nations, so we extended the invitation to fund the traditional knowledge studies. That invitation was taken up by three Maliseet first nations. We provided the funding. They hired the consultants and they managed the process.
As well, as the EIA went along, it became clear that they needed technical capacity to help them with understanding all the science that was in the EIA, and again a request was made, in addition to the provincial and federal funding that was provided. We provided funding, and that was signed off by all 15 first nations chiefs.
As to our discussions with Woodstock First Nation—this was earlier on in our development—the one first nation that has agreed to engage with us on a co-operation agreement, we continue to do that. I have had numerous conversations with the chief from time to time, and as I said in my brief, I believe we are very close to concluding a co-operation agreement with them. Woodstock is the community closest to the project site some 60 kilometres away, and over the last five years we've developed some very strong relationships with the previous chief and with the current chief and council. I'm very optimistic that through that engagement and relationship, they will be able to understand better what a mining operation is and what it will involve, and I think that will arm them better for development.