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FortSmithHayRiverWEATHERYellowknifeInuvik4TuesdayAugust122014WeeklyNormsHigh20CLow10CWeeklyNormsHigh19CLow11CWeeklyNormsHigh17CLow7CWeeklyNormsHigh21CLow9CEDITORIALTheNorthernJournalisanindependentnewspapercoveringnewsandeventsinthewesternArcticandnorthernAlberta.VisittheJournalonlineatwww.norj.caAnzacAtikamegBrownvaleCadotteLakeChardChatehColdLakeConklinDriftpileDufeldEdmontonEnildaEnochFortChipewyanFortMacKayFortMcMurrayFortVermilionFrogLakeGlenevisGoodshLakeGrandePrairieGrouardHighLevelHighPrairieHytheJohndOrPrairieAvailableinAlbertaatAklavikBehchokoColvilleLakeDelineEaglePlainsEkatiDiamondMinesEnterpriseFortGoodHopeFortLiardFortMcPhersonFortProvidenceFortResolutionFortSimpsonFortSmithGametiHayRiverInuvikJeanMarieRiverKakisaLutselKeNahanniButteNormanWellsTheNorthernJournalisavailableinthefollowingNWTcommunitiesPaulatukSachsHarbourTroutLakeTsiigehtchicTuktoyaktukTulitaUlukhaktokWekweetiWhatiWrigleyYellowknifeKehewinKinusoLacLaBicheManningMorinvillePeaceRiverRainbowLakeRedEarthCreekSaddleLakeSlaveLakeSt.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..........................DaliCarmichael867-872-3000ext.25reporternorj.caComptroller...........................DixiePenner867-872-3000ext.23dixnorj.caAdvertising.................867-872-3000ext.26salesnorj.caAdministration................JeremyTurcotte867-872-3000ext.26adminnorj.caProductionGraphics.......SandraJaque867-872-3000ext.22sandranorj.caPaulBannister867-872-3000ext.27graphicsnorj.caTimesaretough.ThefrighteningEbolavirusepidemicthatisspreadingrapidlyinAfricaispoisedtovaultoceansandwreakhavoconothercontinents.HordesofISISmilitantswhoclaimtobechampi-onsofIslamleaveapathofmurderandmayhemacrosswhatremainsofIraqintheirdrivetounitewithradicalsinwar-tornSyria-likelyajihadwithambitionstodominatethe1.6million-strongMus-limworld.NearbyfuelingtheirfervortheIsraeliswiththeirunmatchedmilitarymightarepoundinghaplessPalestiniansintosubmissionwillfullykillinginnocentwomenandchildrenwhilethoseontheothersideinsistonringoffineffectiverocketsinaludicrousattemptatretalia-tion.AroundtheglobeinUkrainenationsgrievetheircitizensbrutallykilledwhenacivilianairlinerwasmistakenlyshotdownbyrevolutionarythugsarmedwithsophis-ticatedweaponrybytheirfacilitatorRus-sianPresidentVladmirPutin.Severeweatheriswreakinghavocacrosstheplanetwithdrought-fueledwildrestorchinghomesonseveralcontinents.Notfarawayrecordrainfallscauseood-ingandmudslideswhiletornadoespum-meltownsandhurricanesandtyphoonsdancedestructionacrossoceans.Nomatterhowbadthenaturaldestruc-tiveforcesallareoutdonebyhumanitysabilitytoshootitselfinthefoot-creatingwarmayhemanddiseaseofbiblicalpro-portions.Itseemsunbelievablethestuffofscarynovelsdreamtupbyanover-imaginativeauthorbutunfortunatelyitisallreal.ClosetohomeisthemassivespilloftoxicmineefuentlastweekthatwashedoveravastareaofcentralBritishColumbiaPreventingman-madedisasterslandscapeandintotheFraserRiversys-tem.Itcamefromabreachinaweaktail-ingsponddikeatImperialMetalsMountPolleyopen-pitgoldandcopperminenearWilliamsLake.EnvironmentCanadalistsalmost84000kilogramsofarsenicanditscompounds1000kgofcadmium38000kgofleadand562kgofmercurydisposedintailingstherein2013alone.Itwassupposedtonallybetherecov-erystageafterdecadesofbadnewsforhaplesssalmonpopulationsthattraveluptheFraserRivereachyeartospawn.Thisyeartheyareswimmingblindlyintothecontaminatedwater.LocalFirstNationsreportskinpeelingofftheshadvisingabanonshing.Aformerseniormineem-ployeeclaimsthecompanycheapedoutwiththeamountofrockusedconstructingtailingsponddikesandthatafailurewastobeexpected.HowthetragedyisunfoldinginBritishColumbiaissimilartowhathappenedinAlbertalastyearwiththebreachofSher-rittInternationalsObedMountaincoalminestoragereservoirthatoodedabillionlitresoftailingsefuentintotheAthabascaRiver.Thecompanyisdownplayingthematterpurportingthatthesludgeisbenign.Theprovincialgovernmentclaimstobetakingactionbutthatismostlytalk.Thereislittleifanycommunicationabouttheextentandnatureoftheproblem.FirstNationswholivefromthelandarenotinformed.Predictablyasthememoryoftheincidentfadesnoth-ingwillbedone.Notablyabsentisanysignicantaccount-abilityorrecriminationforeitherofthosespillsbythefederalgovernment.TheHarperConservativesturnablindeyeignoringmultiplefederallawsbrokeninbothcasestheirstatedintentiontosupportstreamlineandfacilitateindustryregardlesswhatisdoneunchanged.NorthernerswholiveintheMackenzieRiverwatershedarekeenlyawareoftheimplicationsofallthis.Itisjustamatteroftimebeforeoneoftheoilsandstailingsreservoirssimilarlyoodtoxicwasteintotherivers.AdozentailingsreservoirsorpondssitadjacenttotheAthabascaRiverperchedonitshighbankcoveringover207squarekilometresofformerborealforestandwetlands.Theycontainroughly187bil-liongallonsofsludgewithphenolsarsenicmercurycancer-causingpolycyclicaro-matichydrocarbonsandnaphthenicacids.ItisaprovenfactthatoilsandstailingsaretoxictohumansleakingdirectlyintotheAthabascaRiverandleachingintothegroundwater.AllthatisignoredbytheAl-bertaandCanadiangovernments.Atail-ingsspillwouldbecatastrophic-apotentialalsoignoredbygovernments.Inallofthisthefederalandprovincialgovernmentshaventplannedproperly.Theirmonitoringisineffectivetheypur-poselydemandlittleornoaccountabilityandtheydontlearnwhenthesameprob-lemhappensoverandover.Theyoftenignorewhentheirownlawsarebrokenassuchtheytooareresponsible.WhatishappeninginCanadaisignoranceofbib-licalproportions.Wemayhavenocontroloverterriblethingshappeninginotherpartsoftheworldbuttheseman-madedisastersathomeareentirelypreventable.ItistimetheCa-nadiangovernmentstartedenforcingitsownlawsmonitoringcompaniesandhold-ingthemcriminallyresponsiblewhentheirnegligencewarrants.DarwinTourangeautrieshishandatclimbingagreasedpoleinanattempttocapturethecashprizeatthetoponeofthemaineventsatFortChipewyansHeritageDayhostedbytheBicentennialMuseumonAug.4.TheannualeventisacelebrationoftheareashistorywithAboriginalandnon-Aboriginalgroupsalikehostingculturalactivitiesthroughouttheday.PhotoPamGibot