I think I mentioned that one of the reasons we feel we have significant public support is because indigenous people are not just involved at the EA stage. By then, if you're already at the environmental assessment stage, you're well into knowing you have a good thing in terms of development, so it starts before that.
We've had a number of review panels in Saskatchewan, starting with the Bayda Commission back in the 1970s, that really laid down the foundation for stating that local communities that are most impacted by mine development should have preferential treatment in terms of employment and business opportunities. I think that really is what laid the foundation for the great participation we have in northern Saskatchewan of first nations and Métis people.
Then we had subsequent commissions that established mechanisms, like the environmental quality committees, where people from impacted communities meet regularly with the provincial regulators and also with the federal regulators—CNSC is involved in that—to learn about what's happening at the companies, the mine sites, and elsewhere.
I think it starts long before an environmental assessment review. It starts early on in the process.
There's intervenor funding that's available to first nations and Métis communities to ensure that there's understanding of very technical documents.
We've also seen business developments. The Lac La Ronge Indian Band has a company called CanNorth Environmental Services, which is really one of the leading environmental service providers in northern Saskatchewan. They've recently expanded, I believe, to have an office in Ontario.
I think there's more capacity that's being built up, but I think there also still needs to be more understanding of environmental western science in some of the first nations and Métis communities as well as an understanding of traditional knowledge by panel members. Your suggestion of having an indigenous person as part of the panel has merit as well. We did see that on one of our panels. Chief John Dantouze participated for part of the federal-provincial panel on uranium panel hearings in the mid-1990s.