SAVING THE ATHABASCA
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Kony Boschmann is among a growing contingent that
includes environmentalists, aboriginals, and average coating. But Boschmann isn’t saying anything particularly new.
Environmental sentiments are seldom expressed with a sugar
citizens who are concerned about the effect of oilsands The environmental group Pembina Institute, University of
developments on groundwater, and river quality and flows in the Alberta professor David Schnindler, and a host of others have
Athabasca region.
voiced similar sentiments—that the pace of oilsands develop-
Boschmann is the current environmental director for the ment is moving too quickly and that, in relation to water issues,
Athabasca Tribal Council, which represents the interests of there is a lack of information about the potential impacts.
northeastern Alberta’s five First Nations. Many of these tribes
To this, however, Preston McEachern, section head for the
live close to the land. And some, such as the Fort McKay First oilsands environmental management division with Alberta
Nation, are now virtually surrounded by oilsands projects.
Environment, says, “We actually do have a lot of information
“Is government committed to protecting and stewarding right now. Perhaps there’s a shortage on making that informa-
the environment? I would say they have a ways to go,” he tion available to the public because there is so much of it and so
says bluntly.
few people to communicate it.”
What sets Boschmann’s criticism apart from the rest is that
He also makes the point that while Alberta Environment may
until recently he was a government employee. For four and only have two field staff in Fort McMurray, they join a number
a half years, he worked for Alberta Environment, Alberta’s of otherregulators from Alberta Energy Resources Conservation
freshwater regulator. He spent the last two years as a field Board and Alberta Sustainable Resources Development. Beyond
investigator in Fort McMurray.
that, various automated environmental monitoring systems have
“In working for Alberta Environment, I got to see where the been put in place. And the funding for the Cumulative Environ-
regulatory backstop was and just how much [environmental] mental Management Association (CEMA), a multi-stakeholder
protection was going on. I played a role in that, and quite frankly, non-governmental organization established in Fort McMur-
that’s why I left. There’s just no political commitment,” he says.
ray to protect the environment in the Wood Buffalo region, has
That Alberta Environment has only two field staff stationed at increased from $1 million in 2000 to over $7 million in 2007.
Fort McMurray—in the midst of one of the world’s largest indus-
trial development areas—is one example he cites.
One issue in particular that has been extensively studied
by Alberta Environment is downstream contamination in the»
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