Husky Energy compensates First Nation weeks after spill
Cause of July pipeline failure still unclear as oil cleanup continues
Weeks after a Husky Energy Inc. pipeline dumped thousands of litres of crude oil into the North Saskatchewan River, a Saskatchewan First Nation has begun receiving compensation from the energy company.
“I’m glad Husky came to the table,” said Alvin Moostoos, a veteran councillor at James Smith Cree Nation, located about 60 kilometres east of Prince Albert, beyond the confluence of the North and South Saskatchewan rivers.
James Smith Cree Nation said in a news release last week that it has spent $150,000 on shoreline cleanup efforts since the July 20 spill, including $17,000 earmarked for a water pump intended to prevent flooding on its land.
Moostoos said while he is frustrated by the Calgary-based company’s slow response to the spill’s effects on the shoreline near James Smith Cree Nation, he’s happy it reimbursed the band to the tune of about $140,000.
Husky spokesman Mel Duvall confirmed in an email that the company had “provided compensation” to the First Nation, but declined to name a dollar figure. Husky has maintained that it will cover all costs associated with the spill.
It remains unclear what caused the pipeline to fail east of Maidstone on July 20, releasing up to 250,000 litres of heavy crude and condensate near and into the river.
Government and Husky officials have repeatedly declined to comment on an ongoing investigation into the matter. Experts have questioned both the timeline of the incident and the company’s claim that almost 90 per cent of the oil has been recovered.
After receiving reports of contamination late last month, the provincial Water Security Agency (WSA) conducted tests on river water and foam found near the James Smith Cree Nation.
All of the river water tests “came back clean” while one test on surface foam showed a concentration of the hydrocarbon phenanthrene in excess of the country’s sediment quality guidelines, WSA spokesman Patrick Boyle told the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
This week, Husky dispatched work crews and two oil-sniffing dog teams to James Smith Cree Nation. Duvall said the teams have found “debris with oil spotting” carried downstream and that work is “progressing well.”
Moostoos said he and others have found “a lot of oil” on both shorelines, mostly in the form of balls or clumps. He added that it is important to believe First Nations when they say they are in trouble.
“We have better things to do than go around making up stories.”