Oilsands tailings leak exposes gaps in how Alberta, Ottawa oversee industry, experts say | CBC News

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Recent leaks of toxic tailings from northern Alberta oilsands mines have revealed serious flaws in how Canada and Alberta look after the environment, observers say.

Some accuse the federal government of abandoning the province. Others point to what they call a captive provincial regulator. All agree that there's no way a leak from Imperial Oil's Kearl tailings ponds should have gone unreported for nine months to both Ottawa and Edmonton, as well as the people who live near it.

However, the Alberta Energy Regulator didn't update First Nations or inform federal and provincial environment ministers about the issue until Feb. 7, when it issued a protection order after a second Kearl release of 5.3 million litres of tailings from a catchment pond. Federal legislation requires Environment Canada to be notified of such leaks within 24 hours.

"This regulator has always thought of its relationship being bilateral, between itself and industry," said Nigel Bankes, a retired professor of resource law at the University of Calgary. "Never triangular, never a three-legged stool involving the public.That attitude is pervasive in the provincial government, Bankes said.

A survey conducted in 2021 for Alberta Environment found more than 85 per cent of Albertans had little confidence in the regulator's ability to govern industry, in that case coal. The survey also reported Albertans found the agency reluctant to release information and was not very transparent. He said the province and the regulator have already refused to tell him the scope and timeline for the investigation of the leak. Savage wouldn't commit to making the results of the investigation public, Schmidt said, nor would she promise to release results from an internal investigation into whether the regulator followed notification rules.

 

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There's absolutely nothing ethical about Canada's oilandgas industry. They're greedy, dirty, and corrupt. No amount of propaganda from CanadaAction will change that. The industry should be shut down, all assets should be seized and used for an energy transition JustStopOil

You dont say

Just can't stop with the devision. Disgusting.

What do you expect from a government dumb enough to accept 5% royalties?

🤥

Maybe it should be companies responsibility to close wells properly? Oh ya right they “lobbied” to put the onus of clean up on us while they reap all the profits.

Good job CBC. Say, what is the CBC’s stance on serious environmental issues elsewhere in the country, say Lagrange Brookfield burning tires? Or the carbon and pollution impacts from importing totally unwoke oil from the Middle East for refining and consumption in Eastern Canada

Fact: you've got to burn 25 barrels of oil to extract 1 barrel from oilsands. So were just burning 96% of the oil ourselves. 4% sold. And you're trying to tell me, burning 96% of the oilsands, to sell 4% of them, is environmentaly friendly?

Yeah we should stop producing oil and import from the Saudi’s.

Blame “Canada”. Burlier gatekeepers? Tailings do not evaporate. This is an oil company problem and they don’t even get a mention! That is the major problem with our perception of this industry. Alberta gave them a tax break during COVID! Why?

How bout that cloud of toxic fumes from ohio…

Recent leaks of toxic tailings from northern Alberta oilsands mines have revealed serious flaws in how Canada and Alberta look after the environment, liberals say. Fixed it

I think you should look into government corruption!!

Now go do what happens in Africa when lithium is mined.

Please, get real. As trudeau is handing Canada over the Chinese you want to talk western oil. 86% of the oil that eastern Canada imports comes from Saudi Arabia. As you divert attention from a country that stones women throws Gays from rooftops and beheads it’s citizens. 🇨🇦🩸

Who knew ? 🤣🤣🤣😡😡😡

We have this eco terrorist named guilbeau whose advocating for the climate change bs along with that freak we call PM and they ll do anything to stop the oil fields . Cbc loves to be the mouth piece for these 2 criminals .

The Oilsands is the largest environmental disaster in the world.

Canada and Alberta don’t care what damage they do

Shut up Commie

Any late developments on the raw sewerage being released into the St. Lawrence in Montreal or the environmental assessments overlooked in that big Cement Plant built in Quebec? Who called to silence those issues?

BS , Canada has some of the best environmental standards in the World as well as Human right standards . Issues happen and are overcome , in the real world by highly skilled and trained professionals and not used as leverage in a globalist agenda liberal supporting cbc rag .

Stop trying to demonize oil and gas industry. Maybe report on how cobalt is mined in Africa and then you’d be doing something. You’ve become a bad joke in this country.

Let's see the study. I want to see proof of this claim, I can't take your organization at its word.

Piss off cbc.. nice try

Shocker.

Alberta doesn't give her shit about the environment. They get paid too much to destroy it.

😂🤥DefundCBC layoffs2023 🇨🇦

You should be so quick to point out serious flaws in government…oh wait…you can’t do that….they pay you

Blackface racist Trudeau does more damage to the environment with his globetrotting jet ventures than a large city every year but the groping racist never gets called out on it!!

Propaganda

The slow spin on East Palestine is happening right now, let's watch it together.

Maybe it’s time we reconsider punishing them for doing the right thing, and incentivizing them to cover it up.

Yeah, no kidding. A big swath of Alberta, known as the Athabasca River Basin is a toxic chemical disaster after 50 years of environmental abuse and dereliction by the oil industry companies.

Anti-oil propaganda

Alberta can’t be trusted to look after the environment

Tell Trudeau we want to ditch the British monarchy and demand a referendum if he doesn't listen we start burning the union jack in front of the UK embassy

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Kearl oilsands leak exposes gaps in how Alberta and Canada oversee industry: expertsEDMONTON — Recent leaks of toxic tailings from northern Alberta oilsands mines have revealed serious flaws in how Canada and Alberta look after the…
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