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EDITORIALARCHIVES15YearsAgo...WestwillretainlicenseplatesandnameThewesternNorthwestTerritorieswillbekeepingitsnameofcialowerandthefa-mousthree-leggedpolarbearlicenseplatewhendivisionoccursApr.11999.Thean-nouncementcamelastweekwhentheSpe-cialCommitteeonWesternIdentityheldapublicmeetingtodiscusswhattheofcialsymbolswillbe.IssueNovember24199820YearsAgo...MissingwomenfoundThetwowomenthatwentmissingfromtheTrailcrossfacilityinFortSmithlastOct.15havebeenlocated.CorporalWintersoftheFortSmithRCMPsaidalthoughthetwowomenwerenotwantedonanycriminalchargestherewasstillsomeconcernovertheirwhereabouts.IssueNovember24199330YearsAgo...IncumbentssweepNWTelectionsSlaveRiverMLAArnoldMcCallumswepttovictoryMondayonanelectiontidethatreturnedalmostallincumbentstotheLegislativeAssembly.TheSlaveRiverridingwasoneofthehardestfoughtcontestsintheNorthandtheturnoutwasarecordhigh.IssueNovember2419834TuesdayNovember262013TheNorthernJournalisanindependentnewspapercoveringnewsandeventsinthewesternArcticandnorthernAlberta.VisittheJournalonlineatwww.norj.caAnzacAtikamegBrownvaleCadotteLakeChardChatehColdLakeConklinDriftpileDufeldEdmontonEnildaEnochFortChipewyanFortMcKayFortMcMurrayFortVermilionFrogLakeGlenevisGoodshLakeGrandePrairieGrouardHighLevelHighPrairieHytheJohndOrPrairieAvailableinAlbertaatAklavikBehchokoColvilleLakeDelineEaglePlainsEkatiDiamondMinesEnterpriseFortGoodHopeFortLiardFortMcPhersonFortProvidenceFortResolutionFortSimpsonFortSmithGametiHayRiverInuvikJeanMarieRiverLutselKeNahanniButteNormanWellsPaulatukTheNorthernJournalisavailableinthefollowingNWTcommunitiesSachsHarbourTroutLakeTsiigehtchicTuktoyaktukTulitaUlukhaktokWekwetiWhaTiWrigleyYellowknifeKehewinKinusoLacLaBicheMorinvillePeaceRiverRedEarthCreekSaddleLakeSlaveLakeSt.PaulValleyviewWabasca2013CCNABLUERIBBONCANADIANCOMMUNITYNEWSPAPERAWARD2013CMCAAUDITEDAdvertisingDeadlinesDisplayaddeadlineisThursdayat400p.m.ClassiedaddeadlineisThursdayat500p.m.Emailadsnorj.caSubscriptionRates867872-3000PricesincludeGST.47.25inFortSmith52.50elsewhereinCanada105intheUSAoverseas164.30.LetterstotheEditorPolicyTheNorthernJournalwelcomesletterstotheeditor.Lettersmustbesignedandincludeaphonenumbersotheauthorcanbeveried.Nameswillbewithheldonrequestinspecialcircumstanceswherethereasonsaredeterminedtobevalid.TheJournalreservestherighttoeditlettersforlengthlibelclarityandtaste.Opinionsexpressedinlettersandcolumnsarenotnecessarilythoseofthepublisheroreditor.PublishedweeklybyCascadePublishingLtd.PrintedonrecyclednewsprintwithvegetableinkatWainwrightStarChronicle.PublisherManagingEditorDonJaque867-872-3000ext.21donnorj.caEditor...........................MeaganWohlberg867-872-3000ext.24newsnorj.caReporter..............................MariaChurch867-872-3000ext.25reporternorj.caComptroller...........................DixiePenner867-872-3000ext.23dixnorj.caAdvertising....................JoshuaJorgensen867-872-3000ext.15salesnorj.caEzraBlack867-872-3000ext.11adsnorj.caAdministration................JeremyTurcotte867-872-3000ext.26adminnorj.caProductionGraphics.......SandraJaque867-872-3000ext.22sandranorj.caPaulBannister867-872-3000ext.27graphicsnorj.caAnnaSierra867-872-3000ext.20designnorj.caOver600millioncubicmetresoftoxiccoalslurryisnowintheAthabascaRiver.Whathastakenplaceisterrible.Coalslurryislledwithawfulthings.Thewebsitewww.sludgesafety.orgsaysthisaboutitChronicexposuretothemetalsfoundincoalslurrycandamagevirtuallyeverypartofthebody.Healthproblemscausedbythesemetalsincludeintestinallesionsneu-ropathykidneyandliverfailurecancerhighbloodpressurebrittlebonesmiscarriagesandbirthdefectsamongothers.Studiesoftheeffectsofcoalslurryonhumancelltis-sueshavefoundevidencethatcoalslurrycausescancerousproliferationcelldeathanddamagetokidneycells.CheckalsoWikipediainformationoncoalslurryhttpen.wikipedia.orgwikiCoal_slurryItlistsover50chemicals-someofthemextremelypoisonousandothersdisease-causing.ItalsodetailsincidentsintheUSwherecoalminestoragepondsbreachedcausingdisastersthatkilledmanypeople.ShouldwebeconcernedBeassuredthereisnothingthatcanbedoneaboutthisevent.WiththeexceptionPoisoninthewaterwhattodoofremediationinthesmallstreamsnearthecoalminethatthetailingsrstowedintothecontaminantsintheAthabascaRiverhaveintegratedwiththeow.Youcannotputaneggbackintheshell.Thiscannotbexedinanyway.SecondlyanycommunitythatdrawsitswatersupplyfromtheAthabascaRiverdownstreamoftheeventshouldnotobvi-ouslyhaveusedtheriverwaterwhilethecontaminant-ladenplumewaspassingby.ThirdthefurtherdownstreamoneisfromthespillthelesstheriskisbecauseofthedilutionfactorfromthevolumeoftheAtha-bascaevenatlowwinterlevels.FourthaftertheplumeentersthePeace-AthabascaDeltathewaterslowsandsus-pendedsolidsdropoutintodeltalakes.AnycommunityafterthatincludingFortChipewyanFortSmithandFortResolu-tionareatreducedlevelsofriskfornow.Otherthansamplingthewaterinthecom-ingmonthsnothingcanbedone.FortChiphasthemosttoworryaboutbecausethecontaminantswillhangoutaroundthere.Increasedmonitoringtoensurewaterquality-bothfordrinkingandforshinLakeAthabasca-isparamount.Itneedstoberoutineforseveralyears.Theworstisyettocome.Inspringwhentheriversareswollenandsedimentsarestirredupthecontaminantswillbeonthemoveagain.MonitoringinthevicinityofFortChipewyanandup-streamatFortSmithandFortResolutionarecriticalatthattime.Thisvastvolumeofcontaminantswilladdtotheexistingtoxicchemicalsouppres-entintheAthabascaRivercourtesyoftheoilsandsindustry.Atleastoneoftheoilsandstailingspondsisactivelyleakingintotheriver.Noneofthemhaveanef-fectivemembraneorlinersothetailingsinalmostallcasesareinltratingthegroundwaterwhichowstotheriver.Thelevelofcontaminationfromtheoilsandsindustryisalreadyeverincreasing.Itjustgotabigboost.Wecitizensworkhardtoghtcancerandotherdiseasesyetourwatersupplyisbeinglledwithpoisonandcarcinogens.HowcanthisbeallowedAlberta-complicitorincompetentThereactionintheNWTtothecoalslurryspillwasswift.TheenvironmentministeracknowledgedthegravityoftheproblemandcommittedtoamonitoringprogramthatwouldtestwaterqualityinthreatenedcommunitiesalongtheSlaveRiver.TheNWTgovernmentresponsewasmean-ingfulandtransparent.Citizensareatriskandsomethingisgoingtobedoneaboutit-thejobofgovernment.TheresponsebytheAlbertagovernmentwastheopposite.Thedayafterthecon-taminantsenteredtheAthabascaRivertheAlbertaEnergyRegulatorinformedonlysomedownstreamcommunitiesofasedimentreleaseadvisingthemnottodrinkthewaterwhentheplumepassed.Nothingwassaidaboutthetoxiccontents.WhentheNorthernJournalinterviewedanAlbertaEnvironmentspokespersononNov.7stillonlyminimalinformationwasprovided.Nodiscussionofthechemicalsinthecoalslurrywasallowedandnopo-tentialrisktodownstreamresidentswasacknowledged.Thecontentsoftheslurryweretobeanalysedandonlyafterthatwouldresultsbereleased-longafterthecontaminantshadpassedbymostcom-munities.Somehavestillnotbeennotied.Itwas12daysafterthehundredsofmil-lionsoflitresofcoalminetailingsenteredtheriverbeforetheAlbertagovernmentadmittedthathadactuallyhappened.Itthentookthem19daysfromtheeventtoreleasetheirndingsonthecontaminantanalysis.Thereisstillnocommitmenttofuturemonitoringofeffectsandimpacts.AswiththeoilsandsissuestheapproachinAlbertaistohushthings.Keepthelidon.Allowonlyaminimumofinformationout.Protectindustryatanycost.Spinthemes-sagetokeepthepublichappilyignorant.Thepeopleimpactedareseeminglyex-pendable-acostofdoingbusiness.ItisthecultureoftheAlbertagovernment.OnethingAlbertaEnvironmentdidre-vealtotheJournalisthatthecoalminetailingpondhadbeenrecentlyinspected.HowthendidcontainmentfailWastheweaknessinthebermsandwallssosubtleorwastheinspectionprocessinadequateevencorruptHowcouldtherebeaninspectionwithoutsamplingthecontentsespeciallysome-thingonsuchscalesoharmfultohumansbesideariverWhyaretoxictailingssituatedclosetoamajorwatershedintherstplaceNegligenceparticularlybytheAlbertagovernmentisobviousonagrandscale.NinestudentsfromacrosstheNWTandNunavutgraduatefromAuroraCollegesundergroundminertrainingprogramonNov.20.PhotoAuroraCollege