Red Pheasant Cree Nation has acquired a 70 per cent majority ownership stake in L&L Oilfield Construction, marking a major milestone in Indigenous-led industry partnerships in the region.
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The deal, which was officially announced July 16 at the L&L Oilfield headquarters in Lloydminster, comes after two and a half years of complex negotiations. While financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed, the agreement positions the nation as the controlling owner of the long-standing energy services company.
Taylor Weaver – Meridian Source
Red Pheasant Cree Nation Chief Cody Benson described the purchase as a crucial step toward achieving economic independence and creating long-term, meaningful careers for community members.
“This is very huge for us, our community,” Benson said. “We want to see economic growth within our community, and we want to see our people working at jobs that could be long-term and meaningful. My vision for the future is to be able to run our community ourselves internally … so that those own-source revenues can come back into our community instead of giving them elsewhere.”
Benson added that the nation plans to utilize revenue generated from the partnership to fund internal training programs, preparing First Nations workers for specialized roles such as gas fitting, welding, pipefitting and safety management.
Under the terms of the agreement, day-to-day management of the company will remain unchanged. Tyson Mohrbutter will continue in his role as president and general manager, overseeing operations for the company’s more than 200 employees. The Mohrbutter family, which holds a 30 per cent stake, will support the nation as it transitions into owner-operators.
Mohrbutter emphasized that the acquisition will bring job security, expanded growth into new industrial sectors — such as potash mining — and no job losses.
“As a company, nothing’s going to change,” Mohrbutter said. “I’m still here day-to-day running it as the president. We have a vision together that we will grow and bring in new work sectors and new work areas. Employment opportunities for people that have worked for many years, securement — the changes are really going to be for the better.”
Although Red Pheasant’s leadership will remain largely hands-off on daily field decisions, its economic development team will work directly alongside L&L management to learn the mechanics of the energy sector.
Long-term goals discussed during the announcement include potentially opening an L&L facility on Red Pheasant’s 240 acres of urban reserve land in North Battleford.
For Chief Benson, the majority stake represents a shift from passive agreements to active economic participation in Western Canada’s resource economy.
“This agreement shows that we’re serious and we want to be a part of the oil and gas industry,” Benson said. “We actually want to be a part of the workforce and a part of the growth — actual partners in all of that — instead of just getting a little piece thrown at you.”
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