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NAFTAstatesblockinvestigationintooilsandstailingsleaks6TuesdayFebruary32015ENVIRONMENTOILSANDSResearcherspublicnetworkatSlaveRiveropenhouseByMEAGANWOHLBERGAchallengebroughtforwardbythreeCanadiancitizenshopingtolaunchaninternationalinvestigationintoCana-dasfailuretoactonleakscomingfromoilsandstailingspondswasblockedlastweekbytheCanadianU.S.andMexicangovernments.AcouncilcomposedofthethreeNAFTAmemberstatesdismissedtherequesttocreateafactualrecordprovingCanadasfailuretoenforcetheFisheriesActinre-sponsetoevidencethatoilsandstailingspondscontainingcontaminantsharmfultofisharebeingunlawfullyreleasedintotheAthabascaRiver.TheapplicationhadbeenmadetotheCommissionforEnvironmentalCoopera-tionCECSecretariatthebodyrespon-sibleforaddressingenvironmentalissuesthroughNAFTA.AresponsegivenlastTuesdaysaidthesecretariathadbeeninstructednottopre-pareafactualrecordandthattheprocesswouldtherebybeterminated.Itsdisappointingbutnotatallsurpris-ingrespondedDanielTSeleieofFortGoodHopeNWTaDenelawstudentwhosubmittedtherequestalongsideJohnRigneyofFortChipewyanAlta.andDonDerangerofPrinceAlbertSask.in2010.Intheirreasonsprovidedrepresenta-tivesfromthethreememberstatessaidanongoingcaseintheAlbertaProvincialCourtfiledbyFortMcMurrayresidentTonyBoschmannshowstheissueisbeingdealtAccordingtotheSecretariatscriteriaitseligibleandshouldgoaheadwithinves-tigatingthisissueandproducingafactualreportTSeleiesaid.Itsanarbitrarypo-liticaldecisionthatwasmadebytheCana-dianMexicanandU.S.governmentsanditscontrarytowhattheSecretariatthinksabouttheissue.TSeleiesaidtheCECSecretariatisconsid-eredalastresortforcitizensinCanadatheU.S.orMexicotoaddressthenon-enforce-mentofenvironmentallawsintheircountry.WhiletheCECdoesnothavethepowertoforcegovernmentactionanyfactualreportwouldhavebeenabletoshowwithauthoritywhetherornotCanadawasfailingtoenforceitsFisherieslegislation.Thatinandofitselfisapowerfulstate-mentandIthinkitssomethingthatCanadadoesntwantbeingsaidbysuchapowerfulbodyTSeleiesaid.Thereisnoappealingthecouncilsde-cision.OthercitizensarefreetorelethecomplaintbutTSeleiesaidtheywouldhavetostartfromscratchandthattheprocesswouldtakeyears.Hesaidheisnotoptimisticfurtherlegalactionwillresultinthesuccessfulprosecu-tionofoilcompaniesforallegedinfringe-mentsofenvironmentallaw.WeseeCanadaspendinghugeamountsofmoneytolobbyinternationallyfortarsandsoil.WeseebillionsofdollarsinfossilfuelsubsidiesmuchofwhichgoestothetarsandsTSeleiesaid.ThisispartofamuchlargertrendofCanadaworkingveryhardtopropuptheoilindustryevenifitmeansignoringitsownfederallaws.WhenitcomestoMexicoandtheU.S.TSeleiearguedthetwostatesalsohaveavestedinterestinprotectingtheinterestsofthesameinternationalcompaniesthatdoworkacrossNorthAmericaandtokeepoilandgasowingacrossborders.Thepeoplewhobeneteconomicallywhoprotfromtheexploitationofbitumenareinternationalhesaid.withatthedomesticlevelanddoesnotre-quireinternationalintervention.DespitehavingtheapprovalfromtheSec-retariattomoveforwardallthreecountriesdecidedtousetheirvetopowertodismisstheapplication.TSeleiesaidthemovetoblockthesecre-tariatinproceedingwithitsinvestigationwaspurelypolitical-somethingthatCanadademonstratedwhenitattemptedtoblocktheinvestigationfromproceedingnumeroustimesoverthelastyear.ByMEAGANWOHLBERGScientistsconductingresearchontheSlaveRiveranditsdeltawereabletonetworkwithoneanotherandmembersofthepubliclastweekattherst-everSlaveRiverandDeltaPartnershipSRDPopenhouseinFortSmithandFortResolution.Anarrayofresearchersconductingstudiesoneverythingfromshhealthtodriftwoodspentadayineachcommunityintroducingthemselvesandpresentingtheirndingstocuriouscommunitymembersconcernedwiththestateofthewatershed.Theopenhouseformatallowedscientiststoshowofftheirmonitoringequipmentan-swerquestionsandnetworkwithotherre-searchersworkingintheregion.Thisopenhouseisachanceforresearcherstomeetone-on-oneandtalkabouttheworkthattheyredoingsaidJenniferFresque-Baxterwatershedmanagementadvisorwiththeter-ritorialgovernmentandoneoftheactivepart-nersofSRDP.Itssomethingdifferentfromaworkshoporameetinganditsagoodoppor-tunitytochatandgettoknowoneanother.MonitoringanswerscommunityquestionsSRDPwasformedundertheNWTsWaterStewardshipStrategyanoutcomeofwhichwastheestablishmentofvariouscommunity-basedwatermonitoringprojectsthrough-outtheterritory.ItincludespartnersfromtheGNWTthefederalgovernmentvariousacademicinstitutionsandlocalAboriginalgovernments.ThatmonitoringworkbeganintheSlaveRiverareawhereresidentsandland-usersex-pressedconcernsaboutachangingwatershedandthesuspectedroleofupstreamdevelop-mentincreatingthoseimpacts.Ofgreatestconcerntoresidentshasbeenthequalityofwatershandthehealthoftheeco-system-worriesthatnowdriveresearchbeingdoneintheregion.Since2010monitoringworkhasbeencar-riedoutonbeaverminkandmuskrathealthlakebedsedimentcontaminationwaterqualityshhealthicethicknessandwaterlevelswild-lifeabundanceandmovementsandaquaticlife.Thatmonitoringnotonlytakesintoaccountthesciencebutalsoincorporatesthetraditionalknowledgeofindigenouseldersandland-usersinconductingresearchdevelopinghypothesesandexplainingoutcomes.WeusetheWesternscienceindicatorstovali-dateandinvestigatethecommunityonessaidDr.PaulJonesaprofessorofenvironmentandsustainabilityattheUniversityofSaskatchewanUofSwhohasbeenconductingshhealthstudiesontheAthabascaandSlaveRiverssince2011whenlesionsandbumpsstartedappear-ingonshandraisedalarmincommunities.Thoselesionswerefoundtobetheresultofaviraldiseaselinkedtoextremelylowwaterlev-elsin2010.SincethenJonesandhisteamofcommunitymonitorshavebeenabletodetectanincreaseinconditionfactor-howfattheshare-andadecreaseinanomalieslikelesionswhichisareectionofimprovedhealth.MorerecentlyahydrologistfromtheUofSwasalsoaddedtothemonitoringnet-work.Dr.Karl-ErichLindenschmidtiscur-rentlydocumentingicethicknessqualityandfreeze-upontheSlaveRiver.Henotedthatowsweresubstantiallylowergoingintofreeze-uplastfallthantheyearpreviousamountingtoadropof25percent.Aswellhehasnoticedalargeamountofairpocketsundertheiceontheriver-somethingland-usershavepointedoutasaworryandahazardforthosetravelingbysnowmobilewhomayndthemselvesfall-ingthroughthiniceintoalargevoidbelow.OverthelastsevenoreightyearstheresmoreairpocketscorroboratedMtishunterandelderEarlEvansduringtheMondaynightpresentationinFortSmith.Theriverischang-ingandcreatingnewsandbarsandIthinkthatscausingrestrictionandthenyougetturbulencewhichIthinkiswheretheairiscomingfrom.PublicinvitedtocontributeApartfromtheresearchpresentationsanddiscussionstheopenhousealsogavethepublicaforumtosharetheirlovefortheSlaveRiveranddelta.Poemsproseandpostersweresubmittedfromresidentsofallagesdepictinghumanen-gagementwiththeriverthroughoutallseasons.AttendeeswerealsoinvitedtocontributetoawordclouddocumentingwhattheSlaveRivermeanstothem.AmongvariousnounsscrawledinblackmarkeronegiantwordstuckoutatthecentreLife.StillEvansexpressedconcernthatveryfewmembersofthepublicattendedtheopenhouseeitherduringthedayorfortheeveningpresentations.OnlyahandfulofpeoplewereabletoattendduringworkinghoursandthemajorityofthoseinattendanceintheeveningwerescientistsandSRDPmembers.Theresalotofknowledgeoutthereandwehavetogetthemtoparticipatehesaidofthemanylocalpeopleoutontheland.PhotoFrancoisPauletteENVIRONMENTMONITORINGPhotoMeaganWohlbergScientistPaulJonesdiscusseshisongoingshhealthresearchontheSlaveandAtha-bascaRiversduringaresearchopenhouselastMondayeveninginFortSmith.OilsandstailingspondslinethebanksoftheAthabascaRivernorthofFortMcMurraywhereopponentssaytoxicchemicalsarebeingleachedintothefreshwater.