After persistent requests from community members spanning more than twenty years, a federally funded investigation is set to commence to assess the health impacts of the oilsands on residents living in Fort Chipewyan, an Indigenous community situated in northern Alberta. Many individuals in the area, positioned over 200 kilometers north of Fort McMurray, have long suspected a correlation between cancer occurrences in Fort Chipewyan and the industrial projects located upstream along the Athabasca River.
Imperial Oil’s Kearl mine, the site of a substantial 5.3-million-liter wastewater spill in 2023, is approximately 140 kilometers away from Fort Chipewyan. The nearest project, Suncor Energy’s Fort Hills mine, is situated over 90 kilometers away.
The upcoming study will delve into current and historical health data, analyze local disease patterns, and conduct surveillance of both people and the environment. Additionally, researchers will explore how environmental transformations have influenced the community’s culture and daily routines.
Ruby Ladouceur, the president of the Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation, emphasized the importance of seeking answers regarding the situation without assigning blame prematurely. She stressed the necessity of concrete evidence before making conclusive statements about the industrial impact on the community.
The investigation, named Project Monument Hill after a local viewpoint overlooking Fort Chipewyan and Lake Athabasca, will span a decade and cost $12 million. Third-party researchers will conduct the study under the supervision of the Métis Nation, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN), and the Mikisew Cree First Nation (MCFN), with the federal government in an observer role.
Ladouceur highlighted that the study methodology will integrate both western scientific approaches and Indigenous knowledge of the land. The goal is to comprehend the intricate relationship between environmental conditions, traditional land use, and the health and well-being of the community.
In the absence of community-specific cancer statistics for rural areas like the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) and other regions of northern Alberta, Alberta’s Primary and Preventative Health Services spokesperson mentioned that only general or regional data is currently maintained.
Dr. John O’Connor, who has been vocal about cancer concerns in Fort Chipewyan since 2006, expressed satisfaction with the study’s initiation but raised concerns about the lengthy 10-year timeline, urging for a more urgent approach due to the alarming number of affected individuals he has encountered as a physician.
Previous reports examining cancer in Fort Chipewyan primarily focused on medical records and health trends, often omitting individuals who relocated for cancer treatments. A 2009 study from the Alberta Cancer Board revealed that cancer rates in Fort Chipewyan were 30% higher than the provincial average at the time.
Researchers from the University of Manitoba in 2014 detected heavy metals and industrial pollutants in plants and animals vital to the community’s sustenance. Their findings indicated dangerous concentrations that could pose health risks to humans.
A report by Dr. James Talbot in the same year scrutinized health data from 1992 to 2011 and highlighted elevated instances of specific cancers in Fort Chipewyan. However, Talbot did not find conclusive evidence linking cancers to industrial exposure, attributing the higher rates to factors like limited medical resources and lifestyle habits.
Criticism from Fort Chipewyan leaders followed Talbot’s report, emphasizing the distinction between reviewing health statistics and conducting a comprehensive, long-term community health study.
The new study aims to assess the impact of environmental changes on the health of Indigenous people and their community, prioritizing environmental factors over lifestyle variables. Limited publicly available data regarding the connection between cancer in Fort Chipewyan and the environmental alterations caused by oilsands developments has posed a challenge, as noted by Davies-Flett.
The community’s concerns, conveyed through oral traditions and shared by elders and community members, underscore the widespread impact of the issue on every individual in Fort Chipewyan.