Community Stewardship

For Spectra Energy, community stewardship means being economically, environmentally and socially responsible in the communities we serve across all of our businesses. We work closely with stakeholders in areas affected by our projects; we also strive to create mutually beneficial relationships with communities such as the Aboriginal people in Canada. We foster long-term relationships built on trust and respect.

Stakeholder Consultation and Impact Assessment
Spectra Energy has formal processes in place to assess and monitor the environmental and social impact of our operations in accordance with government regulations. Our stakeholder outreach group focuses on engaging with the communities affected by our projects and ongoing operations. We emphasize early engagement with local stakeholders, tailored to local needs and issues.

We begin our outreach to landowners, federal and state or provincial environmental agencies, local non-governmental agencies, and other groups even before an official pipeline right-of-way proposal is filed. We host open houses in communities along the route to explain the project and to listen. Our project team and technical experts are there to answer participants’ questions about safety and environmental concerns.

We work with stakeholders throughout the life cycle of our projects to address challenges as they arise. In Summerville, near Cambridge, Mass., for example, we scheduled construction in off-peak hours to minimize traffic disruption as we add new pipeline capacity to benefit the area.

In support of Spectra Energy’s Public Awareness program in Western Canada Transmission and Processing, local specialists visit with landowners along the company’s BC Pipeline and BC Field Services systems. We frequently meet with each landowner to update emergency contact information and educate residents about pipeline safety and emergency preparedness.

In 2010, we will build on the role of our employees as ambassadors by creating a more formalized program that enhances our employees’ ability to represent Spectra Energy, and their ability to discuss the benefits of natural gas with our stakeholders.

By supporting such programs and encouraging our employees to take an active role in their communities, we help strengthen the communities where we live and work.

Aboriginal Relations
We value our relationship with the Aboriginal people in our operating areas and respect the land rights granted them by the Canadian constitution. We foster long-term relationships based on mutual respect and understanding. We recognize their unique cultural and historical characteristics and strive to create mutually beneficial relationships with Aboriginal groups, businesses and communities.

We support the economic development of Aboriginal people through local contracts, scholarships and skills development programs, and sponsorship of leadership development programs.

• Surerus Pipeline, Inc., a locally owned business in British Columbia, employed Aboriginal contractors who played a significant role in the construction of the South Peace Pipeline project in BC, which went into service in November 2009.
• NATSO Mechanical Contractors, an Aboriginal-owned contractor in Ontario, provides welded stock items to Union Gas; we also partnered with them to install residential energy-saving kits in the Aamjiwnaang First Nation.
• Union Gas provided funds to sponsor the medical and professional health sciences preparation program at Six Nations Polytechnic Institute. This program is designed to meet the needs of potential medical students and support the 2020 Vision on Educating Aboriginal Physicians.
• Through our scholarship support of the Aboriginal Leadership and Management program at the Banff Centre in Alberta, emerging leaders from the Aboriginal community are equipped with the competencies they need to succeed, in a world-class program that honors their cultural heritage.
• Aboriginal-owned contractor Summit Pipeline, Inc. was selected through a competitive process to complete a series of maintenance projects on our mainline transmission system in Northeast British Columbia.