It is questionable whether the intensity and rate at which contamination is occurring has even been studied with respect to health and environmental toxins affecting humans from the huge oil sands development. “There is clearly an unresolved health issue in the community of Fort Chipewyan. The cause is unknown and requires action.” Fort Chipewyan is an Aboriginal community of approximately 1,200 people who live in the southwest corner of Lake Athabasca just 300 kilometers north of Fort McMurray. There has been a high rate of a “rare and lethal” liver cancer there.
A generation ago, Lake Athabasca was so clear that the residents would drink out of it during hunting trips. Now, residents of all ages are acquiring autoimmune diseases and dying of certain types of cancers. A local doctor in Fort Chipewyan, Dr. John O’Connor, voiced his concern about the rise of colon, liver, blood and bile duct cancers in the area. The residents believe that the common denominator that is making them ill is toxic water. This prompted the provincial and federal governments to do an investigation. Perhaps this is the investigation the Conservatives just cancelled.
According to Dyer, they are not cleaning up the tailing ponds fast enough in the oil sands development region. As far as having a regulatory body to oversee the process, this is questionable too. “Volume of tailings continues to grow. Directive 074 was a step in the right direction but it is not being enforced by the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB). A recent approval of an Imperial Kearl tailings plan showed ERCB has waived meeting the rules for Imperial for 7 years.”
The kind of effect that environmental assessment has had on the oil sands since pressure started being applied to the companies and the province to clean it up could be better. Dyer agrees, “Despite the criticism, there has been limited policy change in recent years (Government continues to treat criticism as a public relations, rather than an environmental management challenge). Directive 074 is a step in the right direction, and the Lower Athabasca Regional Planning (LARP) underway, but it is not keeping pace with oil sands expansion.”
PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5
LINKS
Directive 074: Tailings Performance Criteria and Requirements for Oil Sands Mining Schemes
Informing Regional Planning in Alberta’s Oilsands Region with a Land-use Simulation Model
In Depth: Fort Chipewyan, CBC Edmonton
Fort Chipewyan leaders and residents concerned about impacts of heavy oil sands development
Oil Sands Development: A Health Risk Worth Taking?
Worldwatch Institute,
Oil Sands: The Costs of Alberta’s Black Gold
Straight Outta Edmonton,
Do the Oil Sands Pollute? A Search for Answers
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