Good Sunday Morning!
I hope you had a Happy Earth Day! I write from Edmonton where I joined the Green Party of Alberta for a great teaching moment at the home of Michael and Beth Hunter who have transformed their typical suburban ranch into a zero-carbon home. They installed geothermal which let them cap the gas that used to run the (now disconnected) furnace. And they have solar panels on the roof. Michael is also a Green Party of Alberta candidate in the May 29 provincial election. (Note: Only Alberta residents can donate.)
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Following the two-week break for Constituency work, we are back in Parliament. This week was dominated by Budget debate, the release of the Budget Implementation Act, and a major strike of public servants. The negotiations are ongoing, and I hope that the strike is resolved soon. Certainly, public sector workers without a contract for two to three years – depending on the union – are deserving of a pay increase.
I was hoping that the Roberts Bank 2 project, a massive expansion of the Port of Vancouver, would never be approved. But on Thursday it was. Our release is here- “Just in time for Earth Day, Liberals threaten multiple endangered species.” This excellent article by Arno Kopecky in the Narwhal provides more fuel for rage. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault claims that he has set a “high bar” with 370 conditions. More greenwashing. This cannot proceed in any way without destroying the incredible biodiversity of the estuary. I hope one of the many groups opposed to this will seek an injunction. This is one nature-killing project too many.
To another current scandal, on Monday, the Standing Committee on the Environment started an investigation into the leak of 5.3 million litres of contaminated water from the tailings ponds at the Kearl Mine. The Kearl Mine is owned by Imperial Oil, a subsidiary of Exxon. No doubt you have been following this issue as it has been in Good Sunday Morning before, and it was in the news a lot in early March. The contamination was noticed by Imperial back in May 2022, but Indigenous peoples were never informed.
Back when I was with the Sierra Club of Canada, I was in Fort McMurray for two big environmental reviews. I worked to stop approval of the Shell Jackpine oil sands mine, and this one, Imperial’s Kearl project, in two different federal-provincial panel reviews twenty years ago.
Part of the Kearl environmental review was hearing from technical experts who said the hydrology was wrong for the tailings ponds. Imperial was counting on any pollution, if it leaked, going out the bottom of the tailings ponds. As always, industry claims seem to come from the same PR firms. Industry standards are always to be “world-class,” and have the “best available technology,” while Canadian regulations are always described as the toughest in the world.
Unlike a spill or leak, the Imperial tailings ponds are not dealing with a single event as the system, now covering 225 square kilometres, does not work. The contaminated water is leaching out the sides. Imperial’s solution is to insert wells outside the ponds to pump the water back in – to the tailing ponds that are failing. This is how I summarized the issue in my once-every-two-month chance to make a 60-second statement in parliament. I had planned to talk about Earth Day but shifted focus after the emotional testimony from Indigenous witnesses on Monday.
We heard the testimony from Athabasca Chipewyan Chief Allan Adam and Chief of the Mikisew Cree Billy-Joe Tuccaro that the regulator and the company kept them in the dark. Chief Tuccaro was blunt. “This is the truth. It’s profits over people.”
The Athabasca Chipewyan environment committee met with the company three times between when Imperial told them they had spotted discoloured water in May and when the real leak happened – when news leaked out that Imperial was dealing with millions of liters of polluted water reaching the wetlands and watershed. In meetings with the committee established so Imperial could keep First Nations informed, the company failed to mention the crisis it was trying to contain. It seems clear, as NDP MP Heather McPherson made clear to Codon that they had not failed to communicate; they had suppressed the information. And then, on Monday night, Suncor notified First Nations and Metis in the area that it had an even bigger leak from its tailings ponds.
The cancer rates in the community are alarming. The first reports of rare cancers – a bile duct cancer cholangiocarcinoma and cancer of the liver – were reported by Dr. John O’Connor in 2006. The Alberta government fired him and then managed to take away his medical license.
The Cree helped him get it back. He has since won numerous awards as a courageous whistle-blower. But the cancer rates in Indigenous communities near the oil sands continue to rise. On Monday, Chief Adam testified that his father-in-law had just been diagnosed. (This links to my work on C-226, my bill to confront environmental racism.) Linking to RCMP’s treatment of Indigenous people, you may recall that in 2020, Chief Adam was the victim of an unprovoked severe beating by RCMP officers.
Also going back to courageous whistle-blowers, recall the brilliant and brave water scientist the late Dr. David Schindler. He first published evidence that oil sands tailings were reaching the Athabasca River in 2008. He was also attacked and vilified. We lost a scientific giant and a warrior when he died two years ago.
The pattern of abuse of power by the industry, contempt for the environment and local and Indigenous health, as well as a propaganda campaign to deny climate realities, is stark.
Brad Corson, the highest-paid Canadian energy industry CEO (his salary doubled last year to over $17 million) testified on Thursday. He must have spent hours with communications experts to speak slowly and emote regret. He started by acknowledging territory. Conservative MP Laila Goodrich (Fort McMurray/Cold Lake) in whose riding the oil sands are based, did not let him get away with that hypocrisy. She put it to him that the one-hour town hall Imperial held in her community had no territorial acknowledgment. And no apology.
Corson apologized over and over saying he was “deeply apologetic… committed to ensuring this never happens again.” He described the failure as a breakdown in communications. I asked him if he understood he did not have a communications problem, he has a pollution problem.
Looking at this millionaire fossil fuel executive, listening to his claims of regret for a “breakdown in communications” while his company has lied about climate, ignored the cancer rates in Indigenous people, and ignored massive pollution leaks, I asked, “How do you sleep at night?”
Here are the clips of my questions. I got one minute and 15 seconds from MP Leah Taylor Roy (Liberal) and 2 minutes from Kristina Michaud (Bloc Quebecois MP). Without their kindness, I would not have been allowed to ask any questions: Part 1. Part 2.
We will be back at it tomorrow morning with witnesses from the Dene Nation and the Alberta regulators. Committee hearings can be found on parl.vu and CPAC if you want to watch.
Thanks again for the wonderful notes of support and for sticking with us.
In closing, please send good vibes to New Brunswick Greens! Tomorrow there are by-elections and fingers crossed the mighty caucus of three MLAs will grow!!
Much love,
Elizabeth
P. S. Here’s a fun photo from the evening this happy crew spent stuffing Peace by Chocolate bars into envelopes – a very successful event that raised $39,000!
Mission Accomplished: The Notorious International Chocolate Bar Incident – Policy Magazine
Pictured from left to right are Siouzann, Jennifer Kennedy, your MP, Shelagh Levey, wee Bianca Dunbar, Kevin Dunbar, and Karen Lindsay. Photo by John Kidder.
P. P. S. If you live in Greater Victoria, please consider helping the people of Tigray by supporting this delicious fundraiser.
