A recent string of leaks from tailings ponds at oil sands operations upstream has once again drawn attention to the profound transformation Canada’s largest industry has had on the region – and the distrust that comes with it.
In May, Calgary-based Imperial Oil notified Alberta’s energy regulator it had discovered discoloured water near its Kearl oil sands project.
The regulator soon concluded the water had come from tailings ponds where the company stored the toxic sludge-like byproducts of bitumen mining. Environmental samples showed high levels of several toxic contaminants, including arsenic, iron, sulphate and hydrocarbon – all of which exceeded provincial guidelines.
But the company failed to notify the federal government and nearby Indigenous communities. In February, there was another leak, in which 5.3m litres of tailings water escaped from an overflowing catchment pond. This time, the community was informed two days later.
This week, the energy giant Suncor also announced a leak of 6m litres from a sediment holding facility. In an email to the Guardian, the regulator said the leak “is not processed water from tailings, it is drainage from surrounding landscape” and doesn’t contain tailings.
But the failure of holding ponds, which communities have long been reassured are safe, has sowed mistrust among residents.