Transport Minister promises new health study on Fort Chipewyan contamination

Canada’s Transport Minister Anita Anand vows to work with Indigenous nations to update health studies on contamination at a Transport Canada dock in Fort Chipewyan.

At a federal hearing Thursday, Anand, who became Transport Minister on Sept. 19, apologized for the department’s actions and said more could have been done to share information about the contamination with Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN), Mikisew Cree First Nation (MCFN), and Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation (FCMN). 

“Work will begin immediately on an updated environmental assessment, which has been ordered,” Anand told the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “I've ordered that these assessments be done in consultation and partnership with the nations, taking into account Indigenous methodologies and uses.”

The nations learned about the contamination earlier this year, when their efforts to get the Transport Canada dock ready for potential wildfire evacuations eventually revealed the wharf, water and soil are contaminated with cancer-causing compounds including benzene, arsenic, nickel and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, to name a few. A 2017 health assessment failed to consider how First Nation and Métis people use the contaminated zone for recreation, fishing and harvesting plants. When the nations voiced their concerns in October, Transport Canada pointed to this study as proof there is no risk to human health, despite it excluding Indigenous use.

“Things need to change, and that's exactly what I'm trying to do,” Anand said.

“Trust takes time to rebuild, and I'm committed to doing this work.”

A few days earlier, representatives from the three nations testified at the transport committee and told MPs their many concerns about the contamination and Transport Canada’s conduct. 

ACFN Chief Allan Adam and FCMN Kendrick Cardinal watched Anand’s testimony on Dec. 5.  Adam said it remains to be seen whether Anand’s promises are “just lip service to calm the public outcry” or whether something “real and tangible” will come of it.

Adam told Canada’s National Observer the three nations also want to ensure they are compensated for the studies they undertook on the contamination this summer and costs of hiring consultants to try and get the dock evacuation-ready.

The question of evacuation routes — which originally revealed the contamination — has also still not been resolved. During the summer, the only way in and out of Fort Chipewyan is by plane or boat. Wildfire smoke can affect visibility for planes making boat access critical, but low water levels and years of sediment build-up at the wharf can make it hard to launch larger boats and limit evacuation options, Adam explained. 

Anand said she is in touch with Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu and Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan, and “they have assured us that aerial evacuation plans, through the use of helicopters, if required, are in place and approved for emergency evacuation, even if the airport itself is unavailable at the same time,” she said at committee.

Nations want an all-weather road to Fort Chipewyan and Anand said she is “discussing that possibility” with Minister of Environment Steven Guilbeault and others in government.

In a letter to ACFN, MCFN and FCMN on Dec. 3, Anand said the department commits “to providing sufficient funding to support your Nations’ participation” in updating the health and environmental studies of the contaminated area. The letter said the department had already hired a consultant to work with the nations to review and update the environmental studies, and determine a path forward for remediation or risk management of the contamination.

Adam said he made it clear in a face-to-face meeting with Anand that the nations have to be part of the decision-making when it comes to hiring consultants or anything related to new studies.

There are still unknowns regarding the level and nature of contamination at the dock. NDP MP Taylor Bachrach pointed out that a 1997 study noted some gamma radiation was present at the wharf site and recommended further investigation if the site’s use changed in the future.

Anand had not been briefed on the 1997 report, and based her comments on the most recent 2017 reports.

“We have a 1997 report that shows there was radiation on the site, and yet none of the subsequent reports measured radiation,” Bachrach said. “And they did that because they limited the scope of the investigation to limit the liability and the responsibility of your department to clean up the site.”

Follow-up studies will need to take stock of the sources of contamination — what is linked to Transport Canada wharf activities, and also caused cumulatively by oil sands development, environmental toxicologist Mandy Olsgard told the committee on Dec. 3. These activities can produce the same classes of contaminants.

According to 2017 reports conducted by Millennium EMS Solutions Ltd., the contamination at the wharf site is likely due to long-term use and operation of boats, loading and unloading petroleum, creosote-treated infrastructure and spills at the former bulk fuel tank farm. 

In August, the federal government announced $12.5 million over the next decade for a community-led initiative to study the health and environmental impacts of contaminants from the oilsands.

Anand also offered to come to Fort Chipewyan if invited. Cardinal hopes she makes good on that promise, sees the contaminated site, and apologizes to the community in person.

“Talk is cheap,” he said. “Come to our community … We want the dock fixed, and we want clarity on the contamination from the government of Canada, and let’s move on to a better future together.”

Natasha Bulowski / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada’s National Observer