Three northern Alberta Indigenous groups say Transport Canada withheld a report that noted evidence of soil and water contamination involving nickel, arsenic and harmful hydrocarbons that exceeded guidelines in many samples near a Fort Chipewyan dock where community members swim and fish.
The community leaders say they became aware of an area of contamination that stretches 2,050 m³ around what’s known as the “The Big Dock” in the summer through a “leaked” third-party contractor report from 2017.
The Indigenous communities learned of the report following denied requests for Transport Canada to dredge the federally-owned dock because of low water levels and threats of wildfires.
“This is a cover-up. This is environmental racism,” said Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam at a press conference on October 2.
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Transport Canada said the site must be remediated prior to dredging. But the department also confirmed that in 2017 it commissioned a Human Health Preliminary Quantitative Risk Assessment & Technological Risk Assessment in the area. It adds that the study found no risks to human health.
Mikisew Cree First Nation and Fort Chipewyan Metis Nation have also publicly expressed concern about why it took nearly seven years after the discovery for them to learn about the dock contamination.
Following outcry from the northern Alberta Indigenous groups, the federal Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development passed a motion to question cabinet ministers over Transport Canada’s decision to not inform Indigenous communities about the water and soil contamination
When questioned in the House of Common, federal Minister of Transport, Anita Anand, told members of Parliament that, “I will work with them to make sure operations at the facility are being carried out safely. The work is ahead of us and we’ll make sure that we’re on top of it.”
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) is also involved in a lawsuit claiming that the Alberta Energy Regulator knew about ongoing significant and uncontrolled discharges of tailings at Imperial Oil’s Kearl facility, “yet it failed to inform ACFN about them or their potential impact on the lands and waters where ACFN members exercise their Treaty rights,” the First Nation alleges.
