Oil sands development poisoning Athabasca River

By Mark Hume With growing evidence that pollutants are causing fish deformities in the Athabasca River and one native village struggling to understand its elevated cancer rates, 33 communities in the Northwest Territories have called for a moratorium on oil sands developments because of fears about water quality. At a conference in Inuvik, the NWT Association of Communities passed a resolution expressing “widespread concern” that the governments of Canada and Alberta have not managed the oil sands in a way that protects the environment. “This is no longer just an issue for Albertans, and now poses a risk to all downstream communities in the Mackenzie Basin … in terms of risks to water quality in the Athabasca River posed by leaks from, and even possible failure of, oil sands tailings ponds,” states the resolution. The resolution calls for a halt to new oil sands development until a trans-boundary agreement is in place “that ensures water flowing into the Northwest Territories is clean.” Kevin Kennedy, a Yellowknife city councillor and delegate at the conference, said Tuesday all the communities in the NWT voted in support of the motion. “Everyone is concerned.…we are hearing all kinds of stories from Fort Chipewyan about human health problems and are concerned with the health of the Northwest Territories as a whole,” he said. “We are all downstream from the oil sands.” …

 Fearing water pollution, NWT towns call for oil sands slowdown