This presentation was made by Helene Walsh of Keepers of the Athabaska at Keepers of the Water VI in Fort Nelson, BC.

1. Alberta’s Tar
Sands
Development is
Not
Responsible-
Moratorium
Needed
Ft. Nelson, September,
2012

2. Alberta’s
Oil Sands
138,000 km2
21% of Alberta

3. Problems with both SAGD and
Mining

4. Canadian Environmental
Assessment Act
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA)
requires cumulative effects be determined before new
projects can be approved, this if from the act itself:
…the environmental effects of the project, including any
cumulative environmental effects that are likely to result
from the project in combination with other projects or
activities that have been or will be carried out;

5. Alberta’s Environmental
Protection and Enhancement Act
49 d. a description of potential positive and
negative environmental, social, economic
and cultural impacts of the proposed activity
including cumulative, regional, temporal
and spatial considerations;

6. ERCB on Tar Sands Approvals
No oil sands project in Alberta may proceed without an
assessment of cumulative effects;
Alberta relies on the best information and science available
to predict the impacts and cumulative effects of a proposed
industrial activity on the surrounding environment. This
provides the foundation to decide whether the activity
should proceed, and under what conditions.

7. What it means
Managing cumulative effects means
additional industrial use is allowed only if
the environment is not being harmed. To
do this excellent monitoring must be in
place long enough to determine what
conditions were in the past and what they
are now.

8. Government and Industry
have insisted that no harmful
effects have been identified. Any
existing pollution is natural,
caused by the river running
through bitumen deposits.

9. First Indications of Problems
Aboriginal people in the region
indicated water and wildlife
quality and quantity problems
exist and are affecting their treaty
rights.

10. Problems With Reclamation
 Wetlands cannot be
reclaimed;
 Forest ecosystems are
too complex and
poorly understood to
simply put all the
pieces back together;
 Soil problems:
unstable; salt;
 Cost and time and
accountability.

11. Problems with Tailings
*Tailings ponds leak their toxins to
surrounding areas and ground water.
*Unlined end pit lakes are to be
permanent features on the landscape in
which toxic liquid tailings will be stored.
It is hoped that capping this with fresh
water will result in a relatively natural
lake ecosystem where people can swim,
fish and boat!

12. Water use lowers the water table
and dries out lakes, ponds and
rivers

13. Air Pollution
Toxins from burning fossil fuels
contaminate the air and fall to the land and
water.
Alberta’s air quality standards allow
significantly more pollution than the
European Union, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and World Health
Organization.

14. Acid Rain

16. Problem
Increases over time of some of
some extremely toxic substances
such as arsenic, mercury,
naphthenic acids, polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH,
PAC) have been found in water
and sediments.

17. Global warming

18. Enormous increase in roads etc.

19. Ecological Effects: Caribou
100
95 Caribou herds in the tar
90 sands area are in steep
decline in spite of decades
Population Change %
85
80 of government planning
75 and commitments to
70
protect their habitat to
65
prevent their decline.
60
55
50
1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
Year
East Side Athabasca Caribou

20. Ecological Effects: Furbearers
1.0 Observed
Expected
Probability of Occurrence
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
Fisher Lynx Marten Coyote

21. Leaking pipes and tailings ponds
can pollute ground water

22. Keeper’s Recommendation
Pause, stop, delay, no more new tar
sands projects until the cumulative
effects are known and it is determined
the environment is safe.
A moratorium on new
projects.

23. Reasons for Hope
•Some of the damage can be reduced over
time, such as mercury and other toxic
substances.
•There are still some pretty good areas
left that if protected from industry would
benefit wildlife and traditional use.
•In some cases better technology does
exist and could be adopted.

24. Reasons for Hope
•The world is becoming
increasingly aware of the tar sands
and its destructive practices.
•Aboriginal communities and
environmental groups are
becoming more active on this
issue.