(Ottawa) Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault takes first step toward improving environmental emergency notification process following sewage leak from oil sands mine in Alberta, which was not made public for nine months.
Imperial Oil and Alberta’s energy regulator were required to notify the federal government of the leaks from tailings ponds at the Kearl mine, after first noticing them last May.
Ottawa was only notified in February, however, after an additional 5.3 million liters of sewage was released.
Local First Nations, whose members hunt and fish on the affected lands and waterways, say they are furious that they were never made aware.
Several chiefs and representatives of the Métis communities and First Nations concerned are scheduled to appear before a House of Commons committee on Monday to discuss the situation.
Mr. Guilbeault believes that their testimony should help inform the efforts of the “new task force on notifications and monitoring”, which he announced on Monday, to help design a better notification system.
This group will be made up of representatives from federal and provincial governments, the Northwest Territories, Indigenous communities affected by the releases, as well as representatives from oil sands companies.
“The specific terms of reference for the task force would be established within two months of its establishment. […] From the perspective of the federal government, a better communication protocol must be established to improve notification at all stages of the notification process in the event of environmental emergencies in the future,” Minister Guilbeault said in a press release.