Ottawa, Alberta break promise on oilsands monitoring: aboriginals

Edmonton (CP) — A “world-class” environmental monitoring program being set up in northern Alberta’s oilsands region is being heavily criticized even before it gets fully up and running.

In an angry letter to Premier Alison Redford, aboriginal groups in the area say the provincial and federal governments have already broken promises to involve them in the design and implementation of the system, which is considered crucial to understanding the industry’s impacts and answering the concerns of its critics.

The June 27 missive says although federal and provincial scientists are already in the field, aboriginal people who live in the area remain “politically ostracized from all involvement.”

That’s despite explicit recommendations from the experts who designed the system and who said aboriginals should be heavily involved through community-based monitoring and by tapping into traditional knowledge.