Building relationships and natural gas lines with the Peter Chapman Band

In many Indigenous cultures a pipe ceremony symbolizes unity, peace and a connection between the physical and spiritual worlds. Since early 2022, these ceremonies have become commonplace during SaskEnergy gas line construction projects.

“A pipe ceremony is really about connection and prayer. For example, at SaskEnergy when we have these ceremonies as part of our construction projects, we’re asking for the safety of our personnel, we’re asking for a successful project and we’re also asking for forgiveness for disturbing the land, for disturbing Mother Earth,” explains Joseph Daniels, Director of SaskEnergy’s Indigenous Engagement.

The most recent example took place this February, as part of an eight-kilometre natural gas line expansion project on the Peter Chapman Band. Along with Peter Chapman Chief, Council and Band members, in attendance were SaskEnergy employees from Distribution Engineering, Gas Construction North, Indigenous Engagement, Environment and Sustainability, Distribution Customer Services, Pipeline Engineering, and Operations.

“Along with honouring the land, this ceremony also honoured the collaboration and connection between the Peter Chapman Band and SaskEnergy during this project,” says Joseph. “These ceremonies bring two worlds together, letting us connect through a shared experience, and we’re all better for it.”

In the fall of 2024, the Peter Chapman Band completed the construction of a new band office, maintenance shop and three homes. However, these new builds needed natural gas service for heating – as would the new 30 lot development the band planned to add over the winter.

After meeting with Band members to discuss the project and future service needs, the SaskEnergy project team began planning a route for the expansion that would bring gas to the new development in a safe and sustainable way. Although only eight kilometres in length, the gas line route would need to cross creeks, livestock corrals, roadways and other utilities. A technique called horizontal directional drilling was utilized for these crossings to ensure minimal ground disturbance.

“This project stands as a testament to exceptional teamwork, collaboration and proactive project management. We have great working relationships among internal groups, as well as with the Peter Chapman Band through our Indigenous Engagement group, and this project exemplified that,” says Nicole Miller, who manages the Pipeline Engineering group.

“We also had to deal with the challenge of installing the service line in the winter with the extreme cold, frozen ground and abundance of snow in the area,” adds Construction Superintendent Reagan Trohak. “The hard work and dedication from the team ensured we could deliver this project in a timely manner, while staying mindful of the environmental considerations.”

As part of those environmental considerations, SaskEnergy engaged with the Peter Chapman Band to provide an environmental monitor, heritage monitor and Band representative on site during the construction phase of the project.

“Having representation from the Band —  elders, monitors —  is really about what we call ground truthing. I like to say that nobody knows your backyard better than you do.  Their knowledge of the land we’re working on, the history of it, the importance of it, the ability to identify vegetation and sites important to Indigenous culture — it’s really invaluable to the success of these projects,” shares Joseph.

The new service line, which is an extension of existing infrastructure that serves the neighbouring James Smith Cree Nation, went into service in March 2025. Thanks to the teamwork between the Band and SaskEnergy, the Peter Chapman Band is now set up for long-term growth, with ready access to natural gas service as new buildings are added.

Infrastructure projects such as this are critical to providing First Nations with a reliable, cost-effective energy supply, significantly lowering costs for residents and businesses.

“This project also provided us with a fantastic opportunity to work alongside Band leaders, expanding not only our system, but our invaluable network of relationships with First Nations in the province,” Joseph says.

“It's about mutual respect and value sharing. I’m very proud to work at a company that wants to support and promote these efforts.”