Head of Alberta Energy Regulator declines to say when province told of oilsands leak
![Tailings samples Tailings samples are being tested during a tour of Imperial's oil sands research centre in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018. Recent leaks of toxic tailings from northern Alberta oilsands mines have revealed serious flaws in how Canada and Alberta look after the environment, observers say. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2023/4/4/tailings-samples-1-6342228-1680630478241.jpg)
The head of the Alberta Energy Regulator has refused to tell a parliamentary committee investigating releases from an oilsands tailings pond about when the provincial government was told about the problem.
Laurie Pushor was questioned Monday by the House of Commons environment and sustainable development committee about a nine-month gap between when Imperial Oil learned one of its tailings ponds may have been leaking and when area First Nations and governments were notified.
“When was any representative from the provincial government notified?” asked Edmonton New Democrat member of Parliament Heather McPherson.
Pushor, who was asked the question three times, said he preferred not to answer.
“We do have a review that is being conducted by our board of directors,” he said.
“I think it's best that we let that review be a full independent review. All of those answers and all of those questions will be addressed in thatreview.”
That report will be released, he said. The regulator's board did not immediately respond to a question about the inquiry's terms of reference or if anyone had been hired for it.
At McPherson's request, Pushor testified under oath, the only witness to do so in three days of hearings on the Imperial leaks. Conservative MP Greg McLean apologized to Pushor “for the way you were treated differently.”
In an emailed statement, McPherson said she was “exasperated” by Pushor's response.
“His excuse - citing his internal investigation - has no merit whatsoever,” she wrote.
“He is accountable to Parliament. He is accountable to Canadians. Albertans have a right to know when the (regulator) informed (Alberta's governing United Conservative Party) about the seepage and what the government's response was.”
Pushor apologized for the notification delay and pledged improvement.
“It is clear that we did not meet community expectations in this case,” he said.
Imperial first noticed discoloured water by its pond in May 2022 and knew it was contaminated with tailings by August.
Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and his provincial counterpart Sonya Savage have both said they didn't learn about the seepage - as well as a second 5.3-million litre wastewater release - until the regulator issued a protection order on Feb. 6.
On Monday, Pushor said he personally told the province about the releases before then.
“I communicated with the provincial government one or two days prior to the environmental protection order being issued,” he said.
But for most of his testimony, Pushor repeated assurances that the regulator was ensuring that none of the toxins from the release had entered drinking water or affected wildlife. Imperial has been required to install dozens of new monitoring wells and has made public all the relevant data from them, he said.
It's the company's job to inform communities about emergencies, he said.
“The first communication should come from the producer,” Pushor said.
In earlier testimony Monday, Indigenous groups from the area called for reform to how Alberta's oilsands are regulated, with some asking for more federal involvement.
“Canada needs to be a larger presence in the mismanaged oilsands,” said Carmen Wells, speaking for the Fort Chipewyan Metis Nation.
“These decades of poor regulation require an overhaul, where (the nation) is not at the mercy of the decisions of Alberta's policymakers, who are willing to sacrifice northeastern Alberta.”
Her testimony echoed that from other First Nations last week. Representatives of six nations, including the Athabasca Chipewyan and the Mikisew Cree, testified they had no remaining trust in the regulator.
They called for the agency to be disbanded.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6940448.1719339188!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'Why did I have this surgery?' Ont. mother seeks answers after son's tonsil surgery
An Ontario mother said it looked like a horror movie when she flicked on the lights of her son’s bedroom to find him projectile vomiting blood after his tonsils were removed at McMaster Children’s Hospital.
Protesters try to topple Queen Victoria statue near pro-Palestinian encampment in Montreal
Montreal police were called to intervene after protesters attempted to tear down the Queen Victoria statue at Victoria Square.
U.S. health agencies launch new studies of H5N1 bird flu in dairy workers and dairy products
U.S. health agencies are starting new rounds of tests on dairy workers and milk products to better understand the possible impact of H5N1 bird flu.
France bans extreme-right and radical Islamic groups ahead of polarizing elections
France’s government on Wednesday ordered the dissolution of extreme right and radical Muslim groups, four days before the first round of high-stakes legislative elections that may see a surge in support for political extremes.
Puppy mills now illegal in Ontario, but advocates say little will change for dogs
Puppy mills are now illegal in Ontario after the province recently passed legislation banning them, but critics say the new law will do little to curb the problem.
Smith tells Trudeau Alberta will opt out of federal dental plan
Alberta is opting out of the federal dental plan, the premier told the Canadian government late Tuesday afternoon.
Suspected North Korean hypersonic missile exploded in flight, South Korea says
A suspected hypersonic missile launched by North Korea exploded in flight on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, as North Korea protests the regional deployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier for a military drill with South Korea and Japan.
NATO picks Netherlands PM Mark Rutte as next boss
NATO on Wednesday selected Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as NATO's next boss, as the war in Ukraine rages on its doorstep and uncertainty hangs over the United States' future attitude to the transatlantic alliance.
Should he stay or should he go now? A look at Trudeau's options after byelection loss
A historic defeat for the Liberals in a downtown Toronto byelection has put a glaring question mark on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's political future. Here's a look at the options Trudeau and the Liberals face as they enter a summer of soul-searching.