Fort Chipewyan, Alta., residents still have unanswered questions after oil spill town hall
A public meeting in the northern Alberta community of Fort Chipewyan was heated Wednesday night as Imperial Oil employees faced residents.
The town hall, which was live streamed by a local First Nation, followed a tailings pond leak at its Kearl Lake site.
"You put our community at risk just for that almighty dollar?" one man said.
"You have the money, you should have been there. You talk about trust. How are we going to regain that trust?" one woman asked.
It was the first time Imperial Oil representatives faced members of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation since the spill started last May. A second, larger one, happened in early February.
"You got to understand why the people were upset and continue to be upset, not only from the community of Fort Chip but also downstream as we go further north," Chief Allan Adam told CTV News Edmonton.
Many are worried it's no longer safe to harvest the fish and wildlife they feed their families.
A company spokesperson said it has several plans in place to monitor fish and animals.
"I know you don’t trust me. Hopefully you trust the municipality, hopefully you trust Environment Canada. They have both said the water is safe to drink," he said.
"We’re doing fish salvage at water body three in the spring here and those fish will be put downstream, we’ll be doing tissue sampling of those fish at the same time."
But the arrival of spring brings new concerns.
"Has this spill been contained? What's the reclamation time period? What’s going to happen when we have thaw, when we have runoff? Is it going to contaminate the river system? These are the kinds of things that we need to know," said one resident.
Many are also upset that it took Imperial Oil and Alberta's Energy Regulator so long to notify anyone about what happened.
The company has since apologized and Premier Danielle Smith has said Alberta needs to ensure future alarms are sounded quicker.
"We had no input to give any kind of advice on how to correct the problem," Chief Adam said.
"There was some serious concerns and some serious questions that never were answered."
He says many still feel in the dark after the town hall, but believes at least one positive thing has come from the situation.
"We’re being invited by the other oil sands players to go investigate their tailings ponds and see how they’re managing. So now the doors are starting to open in regards to oversight," he said.
Imperial Oil officials say they will return with more answers next month.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
NEW 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire': A crowd pleaser that turns it up to 11
Hot on the heels of last year's 'Godzilla Minus One' comes 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,' the first ever Academy Award winner in the giant reptile's decades-long film career.