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National Observer
22-05-2025
- Business
- National Observer
Skimping on environmental protections endangers us all
In the rush to grow Canada's economy by exploiting more of our natural resources, moves are afoot to pare back environmental impact assessments that slow or sometimes even block resource and industrial development. During the election campaign, the now-ruling Liberals promised to cut the decision time on projects from five years to a maximum of two. Similarly, BC is about to pass a new Infrastructure Projects Act designed to expedite approvals and reduce environmental assessment times. Ontario also wants to speed development with a bill that would water down environmental impact assessments and downgrade species at risk laws, although you wouldn't know it from the name — Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act. There may be good reasons to streamline assessment processes to allow for speedier economic development, especially for projects the federal government deems to be in the national interest. Tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump have put Canada's economy in a precarious position and Prime Minister Mark Carney believes now is the time for at least one ambitious federal infrastructure project — whether it be a national electricity grid or new pipeline — to decrease our reliance on the US. Provincial governments are also pushing for more mines, coal and fossil fuel development which they hope can be sold to a broader world market and replace economic losses of the tariffs. But changes to our existing safeguards must be made carefully and should still include some measure of oversight from provincial and federal levels of government. The interests of provincial governments, under pressure to boost jobs and juice the local economy, can be too parochial. And some, like the United Conservative Party under Danielle Smith, have been so co-opted by industry, they simply can't be trusted with protection of our shared air, land and water. Before our governments take a hacksaw to our impact assessment acts, it's worth remembering the devastation industrial development and resource extraction projects can wreak on our environment with or without safeguards. Take for example, mercury from the Dryden pulp mill that poisoned the Wabigoon River, leaving Indigenous people living downstream devastating health problems. The pollution began more than 100 years ago, but the health impacts persist to this day. Yellowknife's Giant Mine belched arsenic into the air for just a few years in the mid-1900s before new equipment slowed the rate of pollution — and yet the cost of cleaning up the deadly toxicity already outweighs the total value of all the gold that was ever mined there. More recently in 2014, the Mount Polley tailings pond dam collapsed, dumping hundreds of tonnes of toxic waste into BC streams and lakes near Likely, BC, about 170 kilometres south of Prince George. In 2023, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation discovered Imperial Oil had failed to alert the community to a massive spill from an Alberta oilsands tailing pond into a nearby watershed. And the following year, dangerously high benzene emissions from a Sarnia-area chemical company forced the evacuation of Aamjiwnaang First Nation residents. Before our governments take a hacksaw to our impact assessment acts, consider the devastation industrial development and resource extraction projects can wreak on our environment with or without safeguards. Would more restrictive impact assessments have prevented these specific industrial transgressions? Possibly not. But without impact assessments which expose potential pitfalls and seek to protect the environment and Indigenous rights, it would be tempting for profit-driven industries to cut corners and up the risk. It would also obscure the tradeoffs we make in the name of development. Major industries tend to locate away from cities on Indigenous lands and when industrial safeguards fail, First Nations typically bear the brunt of the pollution. So, it's not surprising Indigenous leaders are questioning the moves to water down impact assessments. In BC, Stewart Phillip, grand chief and president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, chided the provincial government for failing to adequately consult First Nations on the pending infrastructure act. He warned if the BC government pushes aside Indigenous interests in its rush for economic growth, it can expect legal challenges. The Chiefs of Ontario are similarly signalling trouble if the Ontario government fails to consult First Nations on its bill to ram through development in 'special economic zones,' such as the Ring of Fire mining area in Northern Ontario. 'You can't 'unleash' our rights or our sacred responsibilities to our lands and waters with the wave of a pen,' said Regional Chief Abram Benedict in an April 22 statement. Environmental groups are also sounding the alarm over recent remarks by Carney, suggesting he is open to a redo of the federal Impact Assessment Act. Federal jurisdiction over environmental protection was already somewhat curtailed by a 2023 Supreme Court of Canada ruling that found federal impact assessments were unlawfully trampling on provincial jurisdiction. As a result, the feds withdrew a number of planned assessments, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford's controversial plans to build Highway 413. As Carney and the premiers consider making changes, they must keep environmental protection front and centre and not listen exclusively to industry complaints, which might be overblown. At least one study on mining projects in BC found that changing economic conditions, not impact assessments, were by far the greatest cause for project delays. If governments fail to fully consider the environmental concerns of First Nations, environmentalists and scientists, they can expect a slew of fresh lawsuits, protests and blockades. Canadians care deeply about the environment and if the government steps out they'll be prepared to step in to take its place.
Cision Canada
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Cision Canada
UCP MAKES IT EASIER FOR ALBERTANS TO BRING FORWARD SEPARATION REFERENDUM BUT DENIES FIRST NATIONS RIGHT TO VOTE IN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
FORT CHIPEWYAN, AB, May 7, 2025 /CNW/ - Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) who reside in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and requested to be able to vote in municipal elections were rejected by the UCP Minister of Municipal Affairs Rick McIver, the entire UCP caucus including Minister Brian Jean, and MLA Tany Yao, who represent the region in question. "This vote comes at a critical time as First Nations wonder about the UCP government's commitment to respecting Treaty Rights," said ACFN Chief Allan Adam. "This vote gives you a pretty clear indication of how the UCP intendeds to win a referendum vote to separate from Canada; disenfranchise First Nations that stand in its way." The amendment to allow ACFN voting rights in municipal elections was introduced by NDP MLA for Edmonton West Henday, Brooks Arcand Paul. The amendment was to the Local Authorities Elections Act, which was being reviewed by the Committee of the Whole, is meant to correct a long-standing injustice. Currently 5 First Nations including Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation are nested completely nested within the RMWB, receive municipal service, and are deeply integrated both logistically and politically within the municipality. "Allowing ACFN the right to vote would recognize the reality they face; they are residents of the RMWB", said Chief Adam. The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation had met with Minister McIver on March 26, 2024 and the issue of municipal voting was again brought up in the legislature on May 28, 2024. Both times Minister McIver said that he would address this problem before the next municipal election. Now he is turning his back on this promise and is instead choosing to allow this discriminatory practice to continue. "This should sound alarms to everyone paying attention to the referendum discussion currently happening in Alberta," said Chief Adam. "The UCP government is trying to pick and choose who gets to vote in this province's future. We call on all Nations, and all Albertans to reject this ploy."
CBC
05-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Indigenous leaders in northern Alberta report progress with contaminated dock site
Government funding has been secured for a temporary dock in a northern Alberta community that made headlines last year after Indigenous leaders raised concerns about contamination at a federally owned dock site. Last fall, three Indigenous groups accused the federal government of keeping them in the dark about chemical contamination at a Transport Canada-owned site, known locally as Big Dock, in Fort Chipewyan. Now, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Mikisew Cree First Nation, and Fort Chipewyan Métis, say the federal government made progress on the issue of cleaning up the site, and also providing the community with a method of evacuating by watercraft. "Since October, we managed to work alongside with Transport Canada and we secured funding to remediate the dock because of the contaminants that were there," said Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam in an interview with CBC. Adam said the dock is important to the local community as a means of evacuation during emergencies, and also for swimming, fishing, hunting and harvesting. The community became aware that the facility had been contaminated with various compounds, including hydrocarbons and various metals, after learning about a 2017 report that outlined the contaminants found in the soil near the dock on Lake Athabasca. If everything goes according to plan, according to the update published on Mikisew Cree First Nation's Facebook page, the cleanup of the site could happen in summer 2026. Adam said the site could potentially be remediated in a way to make sure that the sediment is not disturbed, and the dock relocated. "It's contained in that way," Adam said. "But it's unfortunate it had to happen," he added. Temporary dock The community will get a temporary dock this year, with construction expected to be completed in July. In an email to CBC, Transport Canada states that "the government of Canada is providing capacity funding to support the Nations' input and involvement in the construction of a temporary dock, as well as funding to support the construction." The temporary dock in Fort Chipewyan will be located at the end of Mackenzie Avenue, where it meets Slave River. Adam said the temporary dock is intended mainly as a boat launch site. "It'd be hard to swim there because it's in a river and the water is swift." He said the new dock will do for now and making sure everyone has safe access to the boat launch is a priority. "We were evacuated once and to see it happening again, if that would be the case, we need someplace to launch our boats, and be mindful of the fact that when you start launching your boats, there's going to be multiple trucks and trailers down there." Last year, Adam expressed his frustration with the federal government, saying that the feds weren't forthcoming with information about the contaminated dock. Things have changed since then, he said. "Everything improved in that matter. We all came down to it and we agreed to fix the problem instead of just leaving it unattended because of the amount of use that it gets on a seasonal basis." Both the temporary dock and the Big Dock will continue to be owned by Transport Canada.
CBC
29-04-2025
- General
- CBC
High school graduation now a point of pride for Indigenous community in northern Alberta
Angela Marcel was almost 40 years old when she graduated from high school. "I remember always kicking myself that I didn't continue my education," said Marcel, a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation who lives in Fort Chipewyan, Alta., a tiny community about 740 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. She got the chance to earn her diploma thanks to innovative programming at Therese Tuccaro Secondary School, an Indigenous-led school launched in 2020 to combat a worrying lack of students graduating from high school. Between 2016 and 2019, only two students graduated from the high school serving the area. That prompted an education emergency to be declared in 2019 by the Mikisew Cree First Nation, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and Fort Chipewyan Métis. In the five years since Therese Tuccaro opened as an independent nation, on-reserve school, 122 students have successfully earned their high school diplomas. Cultural traditions The school is unique in that it incorporates Indigenous traditions and cultural practices into its teaching, said Kerri Ceretzke, the school's principal and director of education for the Mikisew Cree First Nation. "We also have a lot of land-based learning," said Ceretzke. "There's moose hunting in the fall time. There is ice fishing. There's sweetgrass picking and braiding. The cultural component is not a one-off, it's woven into what we do," she said. Therese Tuccaro, the school's namesake, was an advocate for Indigenous education and a member of education boards and councils. She died in 2023 but her descendants are among the school's graduates. The school, which operates year-round, has 117 active students in the 2024-25 school year. About half of the students are members of the Mikisew Cree First Nation, 25 per cent are from the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, and 10 per cent are Fort Chipewyan Métis. The remainder is made up of non-Indigenous students as well as those from other Métis or First Nations. Almost a quarter of them are aged 22 and older. 'Very inclusive' Marcel said that for her, as well as younger students, the school's focus on cultural learning inspired her to go back every day. "It's very inclusive," said Marcel, who graduated in March 2023. "You have a student that's my age, in their 40s — and then you also have students that are 14 years old, or in their 20s, and they're all taking part in these cultural teachings that the high school does offer. It brings the community together." After graduating, Marcel enrolled into project management classes at the University of Alberta. Now, she works as a supervisor of recreation and programming at the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo while continuing to live in Fort Chipewyan. Two of her sons, inspired by her example, also went back to school to finish their secondary education. One of them was almost 20 when he graduated, and another was pushing 22. "They worked very hard, and they always referred to me — 'You know, that's the reason why I completed school was because my mom did it.'" School has opened doors Mikisew Cree Nation Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro said the school has opened many doors, both for the members of his nation and for the community as a whole. "When you come from not having graduates for many years, and then all of a sudden you have a influx of 122 — that's something that we can be proud of," he said. One of the school's goals is to partner with Alberta post-secondary institutions to offer higher education programming in Fort Chipewyan. Tuccaro said many of his people "feel more comfortable being around our community members," and having post-secondary offerings "would be monumental for us in the community here." The goal, he said, is "to have people that can walk in both worlds in regards to the Western education and our traditional knowledge, and to keep that going in regards to education here in community."
CBC
29-01-2025
- General
- CBC
Monument will remember students who attended residential school in northern Alberta hamlet
A monument will be built in a small northern Alberta community to remember the children who attended a residential school that operated there for 100 years. Holy Angels Residential School was founded in 1874 in Fort Chipewyan, a hamlet about 300 kilometres north of Fort McMurray. The school closed in 1974 and has been subsequently demolished. The motion to erect the monument passed unanimously at the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo's council meeting on Tuesday evening. Its location, design and scope will be decided in collaboration with the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Mikisew Cree First Nation, Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation, and other community partners, the municipality said. "Through a respectful, inclusive engagement, this project will ensure the monument reflects the voices, stories and traditions of those most affected," said Dennis Fraser, Wood Buffalo's director of Indigenous and rural relations. Important for remembrance, elder says Elder Lorraine Albert, a Dene woman who lives in Fort McMurray, said the memorial will ensure future generations know what happened. Currently, there is nothing to mark the existence of the former residential school in Fort Chipewyan is devoid of reminders of its existence, Albert said. "The church has been burned down. The Father's house has been burned," she said. "If there was nothing there 100 years from now, nobody would know what was there." According to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, the school moved to a new building in 1881. Albert became emotional as she recalled her family's experiences with residential schools. Her partner, who lives in Fort Chipewyan, and her deceased mother are both residential school survivors. She said her partner only now is able to talk about his experiences at residential school. "Once his generation is gone, the younger generation doesn't understand or know what happened because a lot of our people can't talk about what happened in residential schools." 89 children died there Holy Angels is one of 25 residential school locations in Alberta as recognized in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. The deaths of 89 children who attended the school between 1880 and 1953 have been confirmed by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Fraser said the memorial is a step toward acknowledging events of the past as part of the municipality's commitment to support truth, justice and reconciliation efforts. The monument will "recognize the pain and loss experienced by Indigenous families and community, provide a space for reflection, healing and reconciliation, and ensure future generation earn about this important history," Fraser said. In 2022, community leaders announced the site of the school would be searched for unmarked burials. A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available to provide support for survivors and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour service at 1-866-925-4419.
