Dene National Chief George Mackenzie and Alta’s Oil Sands Mine Water government committee are calling on Alta. and its oil operators to enact environmental standards for oil sands release water and acknowledge Indigenous treaty rights.
A government report found that while over 1.5 billion cubic metres of fluid tailings, being stored in tailings ponds are posing a risk to the water tables of Treaty 8, the Dene Nation’s calls for environmental protections are not being heard.
While the province’s environment ministry and energy regulator say they are meeting the province’s standards, damning reports by its rural municipalities and the Alberta Wilderness association along with the province’s own Oil Sands Mine Water government committee reinforce the Dene Nations calls for environmental protections.
Chief Mackenzie and the Alta’s Oil Sands Mine Water government committee are urging for collaboration between the Government of Alta., the oil sands industry, and Indigenous communities.
“There is an urgent need for commitment to transboundary land bases downstream with shared water tables, ensuring that those affected have a say on environmental impacts that could affect the health and wellness of ecosystems,” said the chief.
Chief Mackenzie cited a recent report which was presented by the Alta’s own Oil Sands Mine Water government committee, showing that the current methods for treatment and release of oil sands tailings into the river system are not effectively protecting the ecosystem.
The chief says the Athabasca River, which flows north into the Slave River, Great Slave Lake, and the Mackenzie River, eventually reaching the Arctic Ocean are at risk.
The committee reported that oil sands companies are storing over 1.5 billion cubic metres of fluid tailings as well as 400 million cubic metres of mine water in tailings ponds.
Their report noted the ongoing accumulation creates “significant storage and environmental challenges.”
Currently, the province has no release standards for oil sands water.
The chief’s concerns are echoed in the report which cautioned that “Long term maintenance of large volumes of process-affected water in tailings ponds creates a risk of engineered structure failures and accidental releases of untreated oil sands water, threatening wildlife, aquatic ecosystems and downstream users.”
Chief Mackenzie called on Alta’s oil companies and the provincial government to implement environmental protections and include Indigenous governments in environmental assessments.
The province ‘s environmental ministry and its energy board did not respond to questions from North Now about why the Dene Nation was not included in decisions regarding the lands and waters of Treaty 8.
While representatives with the energy board and the department of the Environment claimed to stand by the province’s environmental standards, damning reports by rural municipalities, the Alberta Wilderness association and the province’s own Oil Sands Mine Water government committee, reinforced the Dene Nations calls for change.
Earlier this month the Dene Nation released a statement reinforcing their commitment to protect Treaty 8 lands and waters and the health and wellness of the Dene people.
“The Dene Chiefs express grave concerns over the impact of the release of treated oil sands tailings on our ecosystem, which threatens the health of our communities and the environment downstream from Alberta’s oil sands,” said Chief Mackenzie.
The leader said that the long term effects of oil sands operations are impacting the lands and waters of the treaty lands, which are deeply connected to traditions, ways of life and culture of the Dene Nation.
“The cumulative effects of oil sands operations endanger the ecological health and cultural heritage of the Dene. Protecting our traditional lands from these impacts is essential for preserving our way of life,” said the chief.
Chief Mackenzie cited a recent report which was presented by the Alta’s own government committee which showed that the current methods for the treatment and release of oil sands tailings into the river system are not an effective way to protect the ecosystem.
“A major concern is the release into the Athabasca River, which flows north into the Slave River, Great Slave Lake, and the Mackenzie River, eventually reaching the Arctic Ocean. The Dene Nation has serious concerns with the Alberta Government Committee’s report regarding “treatment and release” into the environment. The report’s recommendations on the treatment and release of oil sands tailings into the river system are seen as inadequate and potentially harmful. The Dene Nation fears that the proposed methods may not sufficiently mitigate the toxic effects of the tailings, posing a significant risk to aquatic life and the broader ecosystem,” said the chief.
Alta’s Oil Sands Mine Water steering committee reported that the “ongoing accumulation” of oil sands water creates storage and environmental risks. The group is calling on the government to establish release standards for the oil sands water.
According to Atla.’s energy regulator, as of 2023 regulator tailings ponds had accumulated over 1.36 billion cubic metres of fluids.
“Establishing release standards for treated OSMW will allow operators to manage increasing water volumes on site and achieve mine closure outcomes in accordance with their tailings management and reclamation plans and will improve the accuracy of financial liability calculations associated with oil sands mines.” said the report’s authors.
“Over the past decades, industry has heavily relied on recycling process-affected water to manage OSMW. However, while this approach supports water conservation, it has created additional challenges. As water is repeatedly recycled, the concentration of dissolved salts, metals, hydrocarbons and other contaminants in tailings ponds increases, making the OSMW more difficult to reuse or treat to meet yet to be defined release standards,” they added.
The Alberta Wilderness association recently published a report showing over 90 per cent public support for holding Atla. oil and gas companies accountable for their cleanup costs and unpaid bills.
The organization reported that across Alta., there are more than 300,000 wells, 450,000 kilometres of pipeline and about 40,000 facilities yet to be cleaned up after almost a 100 years of energy development in the region. The organization says the costs estimated to clean up these sites is estimated to cost between $60 billion to $130 billion
“The Rural Municipalities of Alta. reported that rural communities are owed $254 million in unpaid taxes from oil and gas companies, many of them still solvent. This is leading to municipalities cutting services, or raising taxes on everyone else to make up the difference.”
The oil sands steering committee pointed out that extensive water recycling has increased oil sands water salinity so much that they are running out of treatment options.
The Steering Committee recommended that the government implement measures to effectively address the management and release of treated oil sands water and “expedite the establishment of release standards* for treated water.
“Establishing water quality release standards with a sense of urgency is crucial, as it impacts all other aspects of the (oil sands and mine water) management strategy, including end pit lake design, reclamation plans, and advancements in treatment technologies,”said the committee report,” said the authors of the committee report.
“Furthermore, it is crucial for the Government of Alberta to work with the federal government, Indigenous and local communities, and industry stakeholders in establishing appropriate standards for water release back into the watershed,” they added.
The Alta’s Oil Sands Mine Water steering committee and Chief Mackenzie have called on the Atla. government and oil companies to include Indigenous nations in environmental assessments and in decision making.
“The Dene Nation’s exclusion from environmental assessments affecting our traditional lands is unacceptable. This exclusion limits our participation in crucial decision-making processes, as recognized by the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), which calls for our inclusion in reviews of Alberta projects with potential downstream impacts,” said Chief Mackenzie.
The Atla. government and the N.W.T. currently have obligations under Treaties 8 and 11, to protect the interests of Indigenous people to the lands within the treaty boundaries.
“The Dene Nation, nor are any other NWT Indigenous peoples, a signatory to the transboundary agreement between Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, Yukon, and NWT. These agreements, negotiated without our input, fail to protect our interests under Treaties 8 and 11,” said Chief Mackenzie.
“Collaboration between the Government of Alberta, the oil sands industry, and Indigenous communities is crucial. There is an urgent need for commitment to transboundary land bases downstream with shared water tables, ensuring that those affected have a say on environmental impacts that could affect the health and wellness of ecosystems,” added Chief Mackenzie.
