The Council of Canadians Edmonton Chapter presented a panel and public discussion for World Water Day on Tuesday March 22, 2022. Those who attended shared their your own stories about why they love our water. They learned from the passionate local activists and professionals listed below about current threats to Alberta waters and about action we should be taking to ensure a pure and sustained flows in 3 central and northern Alberta watersheds. 

Click here to watch a recording of the symposium.

Background

With our nearby glaciers, generally adequate precipitation levels, forest cover and rich soils maintaining water regimes, it could be argued that in Alberta, we have a reliable and sustainable supply of clean and fresh water. 

But Alberta industry uses enormous amounts of fresh water, while generating extensive pollution and other environmental and health impacts. At the same time, Alberta citizens may inherit significant environmental and health risks, while government prevention and needed legal protection from these impacts remains inadequate.  

West of Edmonton, inadequately restored coal mines continue to leach toxins into the North Saskatchewan River watershed – the main source of our drinking water. Further north, the Sturgeon River watershed has long been impacted by aggregate (sand and gravel) mining. Perhaps most striking is the persisting use of the Athabasca River watershed for oil and gas, pulp mill, coal mining, agricultural and other effluents. Everywhere, accelerating climate change intensifies these industrial impacts, with the rate of transpiration now exceeding the rate of precipitation.

Are we taking clean and reliable freshwater for granted in Alberta? Should we have immediate serious concerns about it? Is there action that citizens can take now to preserve and restore this essential mineral?

SPEAKERS

* Chris Smith – Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Northern Alberta

Topics – Alberta’s Water – Why are healthy rivers important? Threats to water. Water Protection. What you can do! Chris will focus on the North Saskatchewan watershed.

Bio – Chris Smith was born and raised in Atlantic Canada, channeling his passion for nature and love of the outdoors into a career that has straddled work with industry, academia, government and NGOs in three different countries and four Canadian provinces.  Chris has worked with the Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society as a Conservation Analyst since 2018, helping lead the Northern Alberta Chapter’s protected areas, public lands, and coal campaigns, with a particular focus on the North Saskatchewan River watershed.

* Ian Skinner and Mike Northcott – Onoway River Valley Conservation Association

Topics -. Impacts of aggregate strip mining to surface and groundwater natural functions within the Sturgeon River Watershed.
Bios – Mike has been involved with coal strip mines around Wabamun Lake for over half a century. He has worked on managing the cumulative effects of aggregate projects on water resources in Lac Ste Anne County (2011-2015) through Stantec Engineering. Ian is a graduate of the Environmental Resource Management (ERM) program at the U of A and a past member of the ERM Steering Committee.

* Paul Belanger – Keepers of the Water

Topics – The Athabasca River Watershed – Historical value to indigenous peoples, ecosystems and wildlife such as threatened woodland caribou.  Impacts from pulp mills, coal mines, water treatment, agriculture, climate change, water temperatures, tars and the lack of government and industrial monitoring.

Bio – Paul’s work as a river activist since 1988 includes a science-based Athabasca River water monitoring program with the Keepers of the Athabasca and indigenous communities. He has also worked with Dr. David Suzuki on the poisoning of the Wapiti  River near Grande Prairie and on oilfield flaring pollution.  Paul has studied biology, bio-chemistry, and ethnobotany.  He walks his talk, designing, building and living in solar straw bale homes for 23 years.

* Jacqueline Noga – U of A School of Public Health, Water and Resource Recovery Lab

Topics – Re-imagining the way we work with water to better reflect its value. Recovering resources from ‘waste’ water. 

Bio – U of Alberta, M.Sc. Social Research Coordinator, School of Public Health, Edmonton Clinical Health Academy.Jacqueline has a Master of Science in Environmental Health from the School of Public Health. She worked in the Water and Resource Recovery Lab for three years, and will be presenting on findings from that work.

To watch the World Water Day Symposium, click here!

Thanks to Ian Skinner of the Onoway River Valley Conservation Association for this timely review of the environmental authorities of soon to be elected municipal politicians

Good faith requires a party who has a “discretionary power” under a contract to exercise that discretion in accordance with the purposes for which it was conferred”, the Supreme Court of Canada SCC 7. [1] This means simply that parties must not lie or otherwise knowingly mislead each other about matters directly linked to the performance of the contract.

Who is responsible for the “direction, control and management” of surface and ground water bodies within Alberta municipalities? 

Municipalities can and should be prioritizing environment management plans and bylaws, all of which are subject to the Municipal Government Act. According to Dr. Judy Stewart in Municipal Direction, Control and Management of Local Wetlands and Associated Riparian Lands: Section 60 of Alberta’s Municipal Government Act (2009), “If municipalities do not take action to manage these important natural resources at a local level, water bodies and riparian lands will continue to be impacted and destroyed to allow for increased development. It is in the greater public interest to invest in society’s “common wealth”, which in the case of natural capital would include the aquatic environment.” [2]

The Municipal Government Act is a job description. “It lays the foundation for how municipalities operate, how municipal councils function, and how citizens can work with their municipalities. The MGA is the legislative framework in which all municipalities and municipal entities across the Province of Alberta must operate and is one of the most significant and far-reaching statutes in Alberta. The MGA affects everyone in Alberta, the private sector and every ministry in the Government of Alberta.” [3] [4]

“Before taking part in a council meeting or performing any councillor duty, councillors are required to make and subscribe to the official oath of office. By taking the oath, you swear or promise that you will diligently, faithfully, and to the best of your ability, fulfill the duties of the office to which you have been elected. Mayor, Council, members of council committees or other bodies established by Council are responsible for ensuring that the municipality acts within its enabling legislation. The question of liability may arise as a result of councillors’ actions. Councillors have the following duty to perform any other duty or function imposed on councillors by the MGA or any other enactment or by the council (MGA s.153). However, section 535 of the MGA was written to protect councillors from personal liability while acting in good faith for the municipality.” [3][4]

Municipal governments must be held accountable to “uphold the law established by the Parliament of Canada and the Legislature of Alberta and the bylaws, policies and procedures adopted by Council” [5], during the earliest stage of planning and land use bylaw decision making, if not, such breaches will have dire consequences. 

Support a candidate who is willing to listen, act in good faith and “invest in the common wealth” [2] on behalf of our constituents, regardless of shared values. 

References:

1. https://www.bennettjones.com/Blogs-Section/Supreme-Court-of-Canada-Imposes-Good-Faith-Limits-on-the-Exercise-of-Contractual-Discretion
2. https://www.albertalawreview.com/index.php/ALR/article/download/321/318/319
3. https://www.alberta.ca/municipal-government-act
4. https://open.alberta.ca/publications/9781460136324What every councillor needs to know!     
5. https://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Regs/2017_200.pdf Code of Conduct for Elected Officials 

Dear friends and Supporters of the Edmonton Chapter of the Council of Canadians, This has been a busy year for the Edmonton Chapter of the Council of Canadians – in addition to weathering a global pandemic, the Edmonton Chapter has been focussed on pushing back on efforts to delist and sell off Alberta Parks, defend ecological sustainability, support the creation of a Digital Library and more. On Sunday, December 6, from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m., you are cordially invited to attend the online Annual General Meeting of the Edmonton Chapter of the Council of Canadians to celebrate the good work of the last year and imagine how we can continue to build a better world moving forward. Join us to: –Celebrate and hear of our successful collaborative activities of the past year =Offer your comments, suggestions and questions. –Suggest priorities for the coming year –Consider our sincere invitations to join us in our work as you are so inclined.

Register here

The Edmonton Chapter, as a grassroots, volunteer-run, civil society organization plays a small but arguably significant role in our democratic process. We work in concert with the national Council of Canadians, Chapters around Alberta and across the country, its board and staff, including the Prairie-NWT Regional Organizer, Chris Kruszewski, who is based in Edmonton. When: Sunday, December 6 from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Where: Online, over Zoom Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMudOGvpz4sGNJzVf17HB8Zt9BuYY15YbO1 Agenda: Welcome and Introductions Chapter Steering Committee Reports Chapter Project and Campaign Reports and Updates National and Regional Update (Regional Organizer, Chris Kruszewski) Chapter Task Force Update Election of Steering Committee Members While we’ll miss meeting you in person, we’re looking forward to connecting with you at our AGM! In solidarity, Rod Olstad Co-Chair Edmonton Chapter, Council of Canadians https://edmontoncouncilofcanadians.ca/ https://www.facebook.com/cofcedmonton edmontoncouncil@yahoo.ca