INDIGENOUS GOVERNMENTS OF FORT CHIPEWYAN ARE INVESTIGATING WHY THE FEDERAL CROWN DID NOT INFORM FORT CHIPEWYAN RESIDENTS OF A CONTAMINATED FEDERAL SITE IN THE CENTRE OF COMMUNITY

FORT CHIPEWYAN, AB, Oct. 2, 2024 /CNW/ - Residents of Fort Chipewyan were shocked to learn that the Federal Crown has concealed the existence of a federally contaminated site in the heart of our community.

The Transport Canada dock, known locally as the 'Big Dock' is used to hunt, trap and fish by local residents. It is also the spot that local children learn to swim, where the community holds annual fishing derbies, and near the water intake for the town's drinking supply.

OVERVIEW

• This spring, facing historic low water levels, and three wildfires within 2 kms of the airport, ACFN asked the Federal Crown to dredge the dock and for emergency egress purposes and they refused. ACFN then applied to the Federal Crown to dredge the dock themselves, but the Federal Crown denied that too without stating why.
• Shortly after, we learned that Federal Crown had deemed the site contaminated as early as 2017, but had failed to notify the community, or update the federal database on contaminated sites. We only found out through a third party, not from the Federal Crown.
• Fort Chipewyan leaders then commissioned reviews and pre-liminary studies confirming that the soil and water in and around the federal site contained significant amounts of carcinogenic compounds at levels exceeding the legal thresholds for safe human use.
• The residents of Fort Chipewyan still do not have a working dock, or way to safely escape the community in the case of a wildfire and the Federal Crown has made no attempt to repair the dock or remediate the site.

Earlier this summer, the Auditor General of Canada released a report outlining the shocking scale of this problem across Canada's north. The Federal Crown is responsible for thousands of contaminated sites and has a spotty history of informing community members of the risks posed by these sites.

"We deserve answers from Minister Anand and the officials at Transport Canada. This contamination was withheld from us by at least 15 officials in Transport Canada and by three Ministers offices. This exposed the entire community, particularly children, to a variety of carcinogenic chemicals for years. This is particularly appalling and immoral considering the risk our community faces from exposure to pollutants from upstream industrial activities. We demand that Transport Canada immediately table an action plan to clean up and repair their site." -Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief, Allan Adam

"Enough is enough. We need to have a clear indication from the feds about how we want to move forward respecting each other's constitutional rights as well as great and respectful dialogue when it comes to building relationships together; start the true reconciliation process. Reconciliation is not a one-sided affair. It's all levels of government coming together and acknowledging the work that we have ahead of us.

I believe in moving forward, we need to have defining moments as to how we adjust our relationship, it's important that we acknowledge the inherit rights of the Indigenous people of Fort Chipewyan and how important it is to them to have access to on-the-land activities and to be able to provide for their families like they have done for centuries. I am open to options, clear community dialogue, and having all parties at the table." – Fort Chipewyan Metis President Kendrick Cardinal

"With reconciliation being at the forefront of the government agenda, it's appalling this situation has never been brought to our attention. We demand answers and want immediate action to address this." The health of our people is our top priority, we will not stand idle in the face of government inaction on this." – Mikisew Cree First Nation Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro

The leaders are available for comments.

To schedule an interview with Chief Adam contact [email protected] or 780-881-7062

To schedule an interview with Chief Tuccaro contact [email protected] or 780-982-5058

To schedule an interview with President Cardinal contact Vincent Lo at 780-695-6406

Additional Materials (including photo, video, and letter to Minister Rodriguez) available here.

There will be a virtual Media Availability on this topic at 10am MT on Wednesday, October 2^nd:

Who:
Athabasca Chipewyan Chief Allan Adam
Mikisew Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro
Fort Chipewyan Metis President Kendrick Cardinal

When: Oct 2, 2024 10:00 AM MST | 11:00 AM CST | 12:00 PM EST

Where: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89070426617

Meeting ID: 890 7042 6617

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SOURCE Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation