Missing in action

Missing in Action: The Federal Government and protection of water in the oil sands New Democrat Report on the Standing Committee Review of the Impacts of Oil Sands Developments on Water Resources Map of the Mackenzie River Basin. [...] The public has repeatedly taken the federal government to court to force compliance with duties to assess and mitigate broader harmful impacts.47 The federal response to the court ruling upholding their duty to require cumulative project assessments was to amend the law to grant discretion to the federal Minister of the Environment to narrow the scope of any future assessments.48 The move not only [...] The Government of the Northwest Territories and First Nation and Métis leaders from Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories raised concerns with potentially negative implications for the larger river basin.127 The Athabasca River and tributaries, and ground water aquifers provide the major water source for the oil sands sector.