Ottawa to spend $12.5M on oil sands health impacts study

Indigenous nations downstream of Alberta’s oil sands have received funding to understand the diseases they argue are directly caused by the fossil fuel industry.

Last week, flanked by Indigenous leaders from the region, federal environment minister Steven Guilbeault announced funding for a community-led study into the health impacts of the oil sands.

Within communities like the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, or ACFN, a sense of payoff and joy greeted Guilbeault’s announcement following years of advocating for such a move.

Chief Allan Adam, a familiar face in Ottawa over recent years, has himself had relatives pass away from rare cancers. He is not alone among ACFN members in having such a family history.

For years, ACFN has raised the alarm on rare cancers found in the community. Now, the long-term health study will help the nation establish a health baseline, understand the exact causes of high cancer rates, and explore the impact on members’ health as they continue to harvest on their traditional territory.

Mikisew Cree First Nation, ACFN and the Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation will lead the study. The announcement follows the creation of a separate federal study into naphthenic acids that accumulate in oil sands tailing ponds, and which have been found to harm fish and amphibians. There are still research gaps regarding how those acids affect human health.

Other studies have revealed unsafe levels of arsenic, mercury, and hydrocarbons in the region’s water and the territory on which the nation lives and harvests.

In a virtual news conference, Guilbeault said the study will be funded to the tune of $12.5 million over the next decade. The money will be allocated from Environment and Climate Change Canada, Indigenous Services Canada and Health Canada. The communities will lead the study.

“I’ve heard stories of health troubles, very high cancer rates, a concern about contaminants in the water, and since the Kearl mine those concerns have been exacerbated,” Guilbeault said.

Eighteen months ago, it became apparent that a leak at the Kearl oil sands mine near Fort McMurray had been ongoing for months. Eight months had elapsed before community members were informed of the leak, leading to court challenges against the Alberta Energy Regulator over its failure to adequately regulate what was taking place.

Alienor Rougeot, a program manager for the advocacy group Environmental Defence, told Canada’s National Observer last week’s funding announcement was a “nuanced win” for the nations involved.

However, funding is arriving “so late in the game,” Rougeot said, pointing to worries that industry and governments may wait for the study to complete before taking more action.

The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation has called on the Alberta government to do more to support health research in the community, including providing funding for more research or contributing its own funds in addition to the federal government’s support.

Alberta is “committed to continuing to protect the health of all Albertans and Indigenous communities while also ensuring we keep our waterways and environment safe and protected for generations to come,” said Ryan Fournier, press secretary to provincial environment minister Rebecca Schulz, in a statement.

Fournier said the province would seek more information on the health study announced by the federal government and had signed a memorandum of understanding with ACFN to explore a health study.

ACFN has taken the province to court to enforce that memorandum, alleging the province has not meaningfully come to the table.

In a statement to Canada’s National Observer, Kearl operator Imperial Oil reiterated the company’s willingness to participate in the health study to “improve understanding and build confidence in our communities regarding our industry.”

Imperial said mitigation measures following the Kearl leak are working and monitoring data shows “no indication of adverse impacts to local wildlife or fish populations in nearby river systems and no risks to drinking water for local communities.”

To Rougeot, Imperial’s claims are “completely gaslighting the community,” whose members have said they are being affected by industry operations.