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Oil Sands Area Groundwater Monitoring

Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The Academy Award short-listed documentary Downstream, about the impact of the oil sands development on the Athabasca River, has again raised a number of issues important to Alberta and, more importantly, questioned how this government has managed the resource. My questions are to the Minister of Environment. Can the minister tell us whether the government has conducted research on resource extraction in the oil sands region and any increase in the levels of toxic chemicals in the water?

Mr. Renner: Mr. Speaker, I mentioned on numerous occasions in the House that the government has an ongoing monitoring system to monitor not only the water that is within the Athabasca River itself but also at various points throughout the watershed to assess the ongoing quality of groundwater as well.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Ms Blakeman: Yeah. I think most of that is industry led, and it’s self-reporting.

Next question to the same minister: given that this minister stood in the House last year and stated, when asked if groundwater had been contaminated, that “there is no evidence to indicate that there is any impact on the Athabasca River,” is this still the minister’s position?

Mr. Renner: Yes, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much. Can the minister tell us why neither he nor the Minister of Energy nor the Premier has ever met with the people in Fort Chipewyan or Fort MacKay to listen to their concerns? The industry had the intestinal fortitude to go and speak with them, so why hasn’t this government?

Mr. Renner: Mr. Speaker, I can’t say it’s untrue, I guess, so I’ll say that I think the member is misinformed. In fact, I have met with the people and the leadership of Fort Chip. I have personally been there twice. I know that the Minister of Aboriginal Relations has been there at least twice, perhaps three times. We have had a good working relationship, and in fact at the last meeting that I had in Fort Chipewyan, we agreed in principle to the implementation of a community-based monitoring system. I understand from my staff that the details for the implementation of that community-based water monitoring system are moving well along, and we should have it up and running sometime this year.