Interesting CAPP still won't answer the rather basic series of questions about what you have been doing to 'advocate' over the last decade.

If you are suggesting that your scoping of a study somehow caused the Cancer Board to do the investigation... you have no understanding of actual series of events that led to their decision. What they did and what CNRL promised the EUB it would do are totally different things.

Also see below.... Though issuing a press release will hopefully have more effect than the Na'vi in Avatar asking the humans not to dig up their tree.

FIRST NATION Rights impacted by Alberta Regulations; no Consultation. First Nation Leadership is concerned about future survival of its Members.

(Fort Chipewyan: March 19, 2010) –The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is asking why the Alberta Government continues to move forward with its plans and approvals without meaningful Consultation on the ACFNs section 35 Rights. Numerous Government and Regional initiatives are underway without adequate consultation with the ACFN. ‘When will Alberta Wake up and Address our Concerns?” Chief Adam asked.

“There has been no assessment of impacts to ACFN constitutionally-protected uses of the Athabasca River and surrounding areas, nor has there been adequate involvement of the ACFN in the development of these Initiatives” says Chief Adam. ACFN members have used the Athabasca River for centuries, yet in the past few decades our members have witnessed a significant deterioration. This change is limiting our traditional uses and limiting our practice of Treaty and Aboriginal Rights.

Land Use Planning for Northeastern Alberta is underway whereby the Government is developing plans for five main land uses in the Lower Athabasca Region: Bitumen Extraction and Production; Transportation and Infrastructure; Forestry; Conservation; Recreation and Tourism. The ACFN is being ignored and cannot understand why their constitutionally-protected rights and uses have not been identified as a priority. Contrary to the principles of consultation, the Provincial planning process is secretive; the Government has refused to disclose their advice sheets on Aboriginal Impacts. The ACFN wants assurance that traditional uses on the lands in the Region will be protected. Alberta has given us no assurances that they will consult in a transparent manner; worse they have not even developed criteria and thresholds to assess impacts on our rights or done the studies which would allow them to properly consult and assess such impacts.

These ACFN Concerns are well known by the Alberta Government which continues to dismiss and ignore them. The ACFN is now publically stating these concerns in the hope that attention will be given to address them adequetly. Chief Adam states: “What is happening to us here is just a start and will eventually happen to the rest of the planet, what is happening here is where the stone hits the ponds and ripples out eventually affecting everyone”.

“We are worried” says Chief Adam “there is uncertainty with what the future holds for us. Our way of life is impacted, we are being moved further and further away from areas we use to practice our Treaty and Aboriginal Rights”.

The ACFN is warning the rest of the world about these impacts. Our position is that our Nation must be able to continue to exist within our Traditional Lands and must be able to continue practicing our Treaty and Aboriginal Rights. We cannot do so if our concerns are not respected and dealt with in a meaningful, fair and transparent way.

For Further Information:

Chief Allan Adam, ACFN, 780-697-3730.



Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation

Tel: (780) 697-3730

Toll-free: 1-888-420-7011

Fax: (780) 697-3500


Press Release for Immediate release – (Fort Chipewyan: March 16, 2010)

FIRST NATIONS OFFERED TAINTED BISON MEAT WITH LEAD AT LEVELS ABOVE WHAT IS SAFE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION

First Nations have been given and offered tainted bison meat from a nearby Industry developer. The communities of Fort McKay and Fort Chipewyan were given and offered Free Bison Meat, only to have the bison meat recalled for lead levels above what is considered safe for human consumption. They claim that the poisonous meat came from one animal and The Fort McKay First Nation, Health Canada, Alberta Health and Alberta Agricultural are suggesting that the rest of the meat is safe. Yet as a precautionary measure, Dr. Brent Friesen, Medical Officer of Health, Alberta Health Services, Fort McMurray, and Dr. Simon Sihota, Regional Environmental Public Health Manager, Health Protection Directorate, First Nation and Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada, Edmonton, advise that any ground meat from the Dec 2009 harvest should be collected and sent for analysis for lead content.


The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is now asking how this could happen. Why is our First Nation offered free bison meat that turns out to be unsafe for consumption? “Generating contaminated meat and offering it to the First Nations people is a cruel act of total disrespect to the dignity of the people of Fort Chipewyan” Chief Adam said. This contamination casts a dark cloud upon the claims that the oil sands companies are able to safely reclaim lands destroyed by oil sands mining. This contamination comes after the discovery of heightened rare cancer rates in a 2009 report released by the Alberta Cancer Board and a report released by Dr. Schindler2009 showing Athabasca River contamination is improperly measured.


On a related note, there is a free roaming herd of Bison near the ACFN Reserve lands which our members use for consumption purposes. Yet Alberta chooses not to manage this threatened bison herd in a manner to protect it from development. “The buffalo are not protected and industrial developers are running them off the lands scaring them with helicopters and planes” Chief Adam said. Drilling and Exploration continues where these herds of bison roam and live.

The ACFN members are afraid to hunt traditional foods and consume waterfowl birds for fear they may be contaminated by Development. We fear that ducks and geese which have landed on a tailing pond continue to travel north and are consumed by our members. What does ACFNs’ future hold with regards to health and wellness of our Membership? What does the future hold for ACFN’s continued existence in the face of Alberta’s plans for Development? There is great uncertainty with the safety of the Traditional foods we consume.


For Further Information:

Chief Allan Adam, ACFN, 780-697-3730.
--
George J. Poitras
Mikisew Cree First Nation
tel. 780.239.6166

Preston is the government's 'go to' guy when it comes to speaking with scientific authority about the oilsands to the media and public. It's a sad day.

Alberta gov't scientist apologizes for saying researchers 'lied'

Study examined mercury levels in fish near oilsands
By Alexandra Zabjek, edmontonjournal.com



EDMONTON — A senior provincial government scientist has apologized to a pair of Alberta researchers for alleging they lied in their research about the environmental impacts of the oilsands industry.

Kevin Timoney and Peter Lee had threatened legal action against Preston McEachern, head of science, research and innovation with Alberta Environment, if he did not retract and apologize for statements made during a presentation at the University of Alberta earlier this year.

McEachern challenged details of their 2009 study, "Does the Alberta Tar Sands Industry Pollute? The Scientific Evidence," which was published in The Open Conservation Biology Journal.

McEachern said the researchers "chose to remove data" from 1985, 2003 and 2004 when examining mercury concentrations in fish in the Athabasca River. McEachern presented a slide to criticize Timoney and Lee's work entitled "How figures can lie," according to a copy of the presentation kept by the researchers.

McEachern said if the data was "properly" analyzed it would show no trend in the contaminant concentrations of fish, according to an audio recording of the presentation.

" It's one thing to disagree, it's another to say a person has lied or suppressed data," said Timoney, principal researcher with Treeline Ecological Research, who holds a PhD in ecology.

Suppressing data is "forbidden" in scientific research and Timoney found the comments deeply offensive.

He said scientific debates are typically settled through more research, more data gathering and in a generally more "respectful" manner.

"Those kinds of false and defamatory statements can definitely send a chill over the entire scientific community," said Lee, adding that is particularly the case for scientists whose work contrasts the prevailing ideas of industry and government.

Both Timoney and Lee, the executive director of Global Forest Watch Canada, said they did not have data for the three years McEachern referenced. Following the University of Alberta presentation, they contacted McEachern for substantiation of his claims, but said they received no reply.

In a letter dated May 20, lawyers retained by Timoney and Lee asked that McEachern retract his statements, which they called defamatory; promise to refrain from similar statements in the future; and pay $1,000 to cover their legal costs. They threatened legal action seeking damages for defamation if no action was taken.

McEachern responded via his counsel on June 11.

"I apologize for the statements made about you in and during my PowerPoint presentations," he wrote. "Referring to your 2009 study published in The Open Conservation Biology Journal, let me say that i) you did not lie, ii) you did not choose to remove data from your study, iii) you did not actually remove data from 1985, 2003 and 2004."

McEachern went on to say: "The statements in my presentations that you did these things were false and I regret very much that I made these statements."

He also promised to take down the slides in question from several websites, including the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada.

McEachern was not available for comment Monday.



Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/scientist+apologizes+saying+researchers+lied/3182210/story.html#ixzz0sa1sAGhu