Privacy commissioner investigating Alberta Energy Regulator over Kearl oilsands site leak | 24CA News
Alberta’s info and privateness commissioner (OIPC) launched an investigation Wednesday into the Alberta Energy Regulator’s communication concerning the tailings pond leak at Imperial’s Kearl mission within the oilsands.
Privacy commissioner Diane McLeod will study “whether AER had an obligation under Section 32 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) to disclose information to the public or others about the leak.”
A request for the OIPC to analyze was made by an Alberta lawyer in early March.
Area First Nations and the Northwest Territories authorities have mentioned they need to have been stored within the loop on the spills from Imperial’s Kearl mine tailings ponds.
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, which is downstream from the spill, mentioned in an announcement Tuesday that its representatives have been just lately in a position to entry the spill website on the north facet of the Kearl tailings pond.
“What we observed was worse than what anyone anticipated,” the First Nation mentioned.
It mentioned representatives noticed poisonous water nonetheless on the bottom in an unfenced, uncontained space beside streams and ponds.
It mentioned it additionally noticed animal tracks out and in of the realm, tailings puddles and no boundaries between seepage and water our bodies.
“We won’t stop until we have a full accounting of this catastrophe. We are not going away,” mentioned Chief Allan Adam.
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation representatives got entry to the Imperial spill website on the north facet of the Kearl tailings pond. March 21, 2023.
Supplied: Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
Global News has reached out to the province for a response to the First Nation’s assertion. This article will likely be up to date if and when a response is acquired.
The Northwest Territories has referred to as it a violation of its settlement with Alberta for well timed updates on rising threats to their shared watershed.
The first wastewater launch was noticed and reported in May as discoloured water close to a tailings pond on the Kearl website north of Fort McMurray.
It was discovered to be tailings seepage and no additional updates have been offered to space First Nations till February when it was disclosed to the general public and federal and provincial atmosphere ministers together with news of a second launch of 5.3 million litres of tailings.
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation informed Global News that Imperial is internet hosting a group assembly Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Mamawi Hall in Fort Chipewyan.
“Our team will be on site to answer questions from the community,” mentioned Imperial spokesperson Lisa Schmidt. “We appreciate the opportunity to begin to rebuild trust, share directly with community members and get their feedback.”
In its newest replace, posted on-line March 19, Imperial mentioned there are practically 200 individuals engaged on remediation and associated actions on the Kearl website. The firm mentioned all seven Indigenous communities have been invited to tour the positioning and do unbiased water testing.
“Imperial’s current monitoring and water sampling data has been stable and shows no impacts to local waterways or drinking water,” the corporate acknowledged March 19. “There continues to be no indication of impacts to wildlife or fish.”
Imperial mentioned it performed wildlife monitoring and put in extra fencing at inactive work areas to stop potential entry.
The firm additionally mentioned it did “notify communities at the time of both incidents in May 2022 and February 2023. We deeply regret communications during our investigations into the May incident were not regularly provided to communities.”
In an announcement shared on its web site, the OIPC mentioned the investigation will have a look at:
- After studying concerning the substance launch(s) from Imperial, did AER have an obligation below Section 32(1) to reveal details about a threat of serious hurt to the atmosphere or to the well being and security of the general public, of the affected group of individuals, or of the individual? Did AER have an obligation below Section 32(1) to reveal info that’s clearly within the public curiosity?
- If so, has AER fulfilled its Section 32 obligation?
Premier Danielle Smith mentioned the delay in public notification has illuminated the necessity for Alberta to make sure future alarms are sounded extra rapidly.
Smith mentioned her authorities is working with the province’s oilsands regulator to develop higher insurance policies to present affected teams well timed notification.
“Good practice and being a good neighbour (means) more communication is better,” Smith mentioned Tuesday at an unrelated news convention in Mundare, Alta.
“That’s going to be our approach going forward. I’ve talked to the environment minister about that and the energy minister about that and the regulator about that.
“We’ll be working with the (Alberta Energy) Regulator to develop new processes to make sure that any time there is an incident that the comms are clear, that we have radical transparency and, just even as a courtesy, make sure any impacted party has a heads-up so they don’t have any fear based on the misinformation they see on social media or in the media.”
Earlier this week, federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault repeated his name for a stronger federal presence in relation to environmental monitoring and communications within the oilsands in gentle of the Kearl seepages.
Guilbeault additionally repeated his plan for a brand new physique with federal, provincial and First Nation members that may meet commonly to share info, particularly on environmental emergencies. It would additionally talk about cleansing up tailings releases, easy methods to preserve the huge poisonous ponds contained and long-term options for them.
Guilbeault mentioned officers from Imperial and the Alberta Energy Regulator will likely be invited to look earlier than the House of Commons atmosphere and sustainable growth committee.
— With recordsdata from Bob Weber and Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press
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