Dozens of First Nations leaders are meeting this week to discuss a plan that could make them the next owners of the controversial Trans Mountain pipeline.

Indigenous leaders will debate Wednesday which financial model is ideal if they are able to purchase the pipeline project, which would boost the amount of oilsands bitumen shipped from Alberta to the B.C. coast.

After a private "high level" meeting with the federal government was held in Calgary last month, the Indian Resources Council of Canada (IRCC) is optimistic it will be able to present a proposal to Ottawa to acquire the pipeline project in the coming months. The IRCC represents 134 First Nations that have oil and gas resources on their land.

The leaders are meeting at the Grey Eagle Casino and Resort on the Tsuut'ina Nation outside Calgary.

The proposed Trans Mountain expansion pipeline would ship oilsands crude from Edmonton to the Vancouver area for export. The federal government purchased the project for $4.5 billion from Kinder Morgan Canada last summer, but it doesn't want to be a long-term owner.

The project is stalled after the Federal Court of Appeal ruled in late August there needed to be more consultation with First Nations. The National Energy Board was also instructed to explore the potential environmental impacts from increased marine shipping.

The IRCC says the majority of its members want to purchase the project and make the pipeline 100 per cent owned, operated and monitored by Indigenous people.

"We all want a safe and proper environment; the environment is so key," said Stephen Buffalo, chief executive of the IRCC. "But we can continue to still do some economic development and have that balance. And that's what we need to strive for — to find that balance."

Along the pipeline route, some First Nations have signed benefit agreements to support the project, while others have resisted and tried to stop progress through protests and legal challenges. The IRCC said it supports those First Nations in B.C. who want to protect their land and waterways, specifically the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh, which have territory near the Burrard Inlet terminal.

Those who oppose the project have concerns about a potential oil spill, including the impact on salmon and other marine life.

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However, the organization says efforts to oppose the project are also holding back the First Nations that support the pipeline and are counting on it for economic gain.

Not every First Nation has lucrative land holdings or casinos to benefit from, said Buffalo.

"Our job right now is to get the chiefs together and the leadership together to help make a consensus to ensure we're all on the same page. We're all looking for something to get out of poverty," he said.

If Indigenous people own the project, there would be increased job and economic opportunities, in addition to more control over environmental monitoring, he said.

"I'll be satisfied to know that there are no rail cars along the rivers and lakes. That there is no possibility of a car derailment," said Buffalo.

One of the First Nations opposing the project doesn't seem to care much who owns the pipeline now or in the future because concerns with Trans Mountain remain.

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