After continuous 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 in Fort Chipewyan, an Indigenous community situated in northern Alberta. Many individuals in the community, located over 200 kilometers north of Fort McMurray, have long suspected a correlation between cancers in Fort Chipewyan and the industrial activities upstream along the Athabasca River.
The Imperial Oil’s Kearl mine, where a 5.3-million-litre wastewater spill occurred in 2023, is roughly 140 kilometers away from Fort Chipewyan. Suncor Energy’s Fort Hills mine, the closest project, is situated over 90 kilometers away.
The study will delve into current and past health data, analyze local disease trends, and monitor both people and the environment. It will also explore the impact of environmental changes on the community’s culture and daily life.
Ruby Ladouceur, president of the Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation, emphasized the importance of seeking answers without assigning blame. She highlighted the need for concrete evidence before concluding industrial activities as the sole cause of health issues.
The research initiative, named Project Monument Hill, will span ten years and receive $12 million in funding. It aims to combine western scientific methods with Indigenous knowledge of the land to understand the intricate relationship between environmental conditions, traditional land use, and the well-being of the community.
Dr. John O’Connor, a vocal advocate on cancer concerns in Fort Chipewyan since 2006, expressed satisfaction that the study is finally materializing. However, he voiced concerns about the lengthy ten-year timeline, stressing the urgency of expediting the research process due to the significant health implications.
Previous studies on cancer in Fort Chipewyan have primarily focused on medical records and health trends, often overlooking individuals who have left the community, including those seeking cancer treatments. Reports from the past have indicated elevated cancer rates in Fort Chipewyan compared to the rest of Alberta, with findings of heavy metals and industrial contaminants in locally harvested plants and animals posing potential health risks.
The new study aims to provide a comprehensive examination of how environmental changes have affected the health of Indigenous people and their community, emphasizing the need to consider the impact of the environment over lifestyle factors. Limited public data availability regarding the relationship between cancer in Fort Chipewyan and oilsands developments has prompted calls for a more thorough investigation to address community concerns.