Dene Nation calls out Alberta Energy Regulator over refusal to say when Imperial 1st reported oilsands leak

The Dene Nation is calling for action following an oilsands tailings pond leak in northern Alberta that wasn't made public for nine months.

Dene National Chief Gerald Antoine on Monday afternoon said production operations at Kearl Mine should be halted, an independent investigation should be done and Imperial Oil should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, among other recommendations.

"Having this leakage for nine months, this is not acceptable … [it] is criminal, and the people who are responsible should be charged to the highest degree," Antoine said at a news conference. 

The Dene Nation is a political organization that speaks for the Denesoline, Tłı̨chǫ, Deh Gáh Got'ı̨ę, K'ashot'ine and Dinjii Zhuh — groups that live downstream of the Athabasca River basin. 

The press conference was held online in the Northwest Territories Monday afternoon.

The Dene Nation news conference took place hours after the head of the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), Laurie Pushor, apologized before a parliamentary committee in Ottawa for the handling of Imperial Oil's Kearl tailings leak.

Pushor said neither Imperial Oil nor the AER met community expectations. When asked about when the provincial government was informed of the leak, he said his answers could jeopardize a third-party investigation. 

Speaking at the Dene Nation news conference, Antoine criticized Pushor for refusing to say when Imperial notified the regulator of the leak, saying his refusal was not acceptable. 

"There is more interest in the industry stakeholders than the people themselves, and I think this is unacceptable, and we have to say enough is enough," Antoine said.

'Catastrophic consequences'

Antoine voiced concerns about environmental impacts. 

"This particular toxic material, it has the most catastrophic consequences, and it has the potential to be at a mass level — and we are downriver from it," Antoine said.  

The Dene Nation is also calling on Imperial, Suncor, Alberta and Canada to share plans for remediation for the environment and wildlife, including land, water and air.

Antoine said "Dene" consists of two words: de, meaning "of the water" and ne, meaning "of the land."

"Unlike Alberta, north of 60th parallel — Denendeh — we do not receive any economic or social benefits, and this pollution does not stop at the 60th parallel," he said.

"The most important consideration is the long term health and wellness of our home."

Antoine did not say how the Dene Nation would work with the territorial and Alberta governments, but several of the recommendations ask that the Nation be involved with the process. 

The news of the Kearl Mine tailings leak happened right before the inaugural Dene Nation water summit in Inuvik, N.W.T., last month.

Dene, Métis and Inuit from across the North travelled to Inuvik to talk about issues related to the water quality of the Mackenzie River system and its effects on humans, wildlife and the environment. The goal was to share observations and discuss a path forward. 

Before the summit even started, the Dene Nation and the Assembly of First Nations N.W.T. shared a joint news release calling for accountability for the "frequent and unprecedented failure of tailings dams, toxic tailings leaks and spills at the Kearl mine site."

Now, Antoine says Indigenous, territorial, provincial and federal governments need to come together. 

"Our direction is to protect our home, the land, Mother Earth, our family, the original families and their descendants," he said.