The Health implications in terms of these projects are vast, and not just the deadly explosions and industrial accidents that happen in production-—from reported increases in rare forms of cancer downstream from tar sands production to the pollution of fresh water leading to poisoned diets (fish, moose and plant toxicity)—-direct links are hard to establish but impossible to either rule out or ignore, especially where tarsand operations constitute overwhelmingly the greatest change to the environment in most corners of the continent effected directly by tarsand infrastructure.
The following article from Alberta Views Magazine also received an important letter to the editor follow up from Reinie Jobin, the Elder mentioned at the outset of the piece. His response is attached and appended at the conclusion of the original article below, on this same posting.
Thanks to the Ontario based solidarity organization, Friends of the Lubicon for providing these two articles:
http://www.tao.ca/~fol
ALBERTA VIEWS MAGAZINE
MARCH 2007
FEATURE REPORT
NO DEAL
Oil sands boom adds to worker shortage woes
BRIAN BAKER
staff writer
http://dcnonl.com/article/20070402300
In labour hungry Alberta, more oil sands production is predicted through to the year 2020, a portent that may compound the province’s construction industry woes.
A Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI) study predicts the oil sands in Fort McMurray will triple production, pushing spending over $7.5 billion mark.
Limited time for training and demand in ICI sector construction will be pushed to the limits when the bitumen boom hits its full potential.
Like the bulk of the proposed pipelines to head south after leaving the Tarsands, this pipeline project run by Enbridge is actually taking heavy bitumen to be refined in the southern 48. That isn't merely to keep the corporations in the southern US functioning, but as the rest of the world's capacity shrinks while demand grows, as it is wont to do, this is the only feasible way that the US Dep't of Energy's strategy of bleeding the Albertan tarsands as fast as possible can actually get refined, for there would be no way to construct the needed infrastructure fast enough.
Much of the gas in the northeast region of British Columbia (and a little from Yukon and the Liard region of the NWT) is already being fed into pipes in the Albertan system. A corridor pipe, short and innocuous seeming, is to be proposed soon, taking this and much much more gas from all over northwestern Turtle Island directly to the tar sands.
This health cost is only going to grow exponentially.
Macdonald
Oil and Gas industry battles worker death toll
41 workers have died in the B.C. oilpatch in the past six years
Michael Kane, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, March 28, 2007
The doctor who does not speak of treating both the symptom and the cause of disease is one who sees your lung cancer and does not tell you to quit smoking, or who offers you a beer while explaining you have liver failure.
Why Climate Change issues won't be solved by Politicians or Capitalism
Liberals and Conservatives demonstrate hypocrisy on redressing Global Warming
http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/home/Frontpage/2007/03/27/01446.html
Compiled by Super Canuck
Money for Fort McMurray welcome, but pace of oil sands development is still the "elephant in the room"
Stelmach needs to find courage to tell oil companies: enough is enough
EDMONTON, Feb. 26/2007
CNW/ - New funding announced today to address growth pressures in Fort McMurray is welcome but is yet another example of the Alberta government treating the symptoms and ignoring the root causes of the disease, says Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour.
First Nation pulls out of oilsands watchdog group
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 6, 2007 | 10:46 AM MT
CBC News
The largest First Nations community in the Fort McMurray area has walked away from an organization set up to protect the environment from too much oilsands development.
Government and industry are not taking protection of the environment seriously, said Sherwin Sheh, who speaks for the Mikisew Cree of Fort Chipewyan.
The First Nation is following the lead of the Athabasca Chipewyan and pulling out of the Cumulative Environmental Management Association.
The social impacts of massive, out of control development in Fort McMurray is costing dearly on the issues of health, particularly for new parents and children, with both inadequate housing and a society with few community driven aspects but a severe amount of alcohol and drug abuse, combined with attendant violence. Even the desperate tone of the situation described in this glossy government pamphlet from Food for Two shows the dire situation for services and basic life conditions. It is set to escalate in a manner absolutely out of control, literally.
from
N.W.T. fears toll from oilsands development
http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/Local%20News/295973.html
By RENATO GANDIA
staff// Fort McMurray Today
Friday March 23, 2007
Destruction of the Mackenzie River watershed, hundreds of dead adults and sick babies in the Deh Cho First Nation. That’s the scenario a Northwest Territories chief is predicting if oilsands development is not slowed.
Grand Chief Herb Norwegian wants immediate action from the Alberta and N.W.T. governments to protect the quality and quantity of water that flows downstream from the oilsands.
