Evidence of meeting #26 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was aquifers.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:40 a.m.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Successive federal governments, as well as the provincial governments, I'm sure, have dropped the ball on helping to pursue these bilateral agreements.
9:40 a.m.
Environmental Consultant, Climate and Water, As an Individual
I don't know if they've dropped the ball. They've certainly not pushed hard under the Mackenzie basin agreement. But sometimes it's very hard to get provinces to do things under such an agreement.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Thank you, Dr. Bruce, for being here. I have a number of questions, so I'll try to be as quick as possible.
The report that you're referencing today is current, right? It just came off the presses recently?
9:40 a.m.
Environmental Consultant, Climate and Water, As an Individual
This is the one on sustainable management of groundwater? Yes, it was issued May 11.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
So it's relevant and current.
I also read the October 2006 report. Is that pretty much relevant?
9:40 a.m.
Environmental Consultant, Climate and Water, As an Individual
Yes, I think it is. I've checked the flow figures for the last few years to make sure that the trends that I cited in that report are continuing, and they are.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
In the 2006 report, you referenced Pembina quite a few times. What's your relationship with them now?
9:40 a.m.
Environmental Consultant, Climate and Water, As an Individual
I just admire the work they do.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Thank you very much.
When's the last time you personally visited the oil sands, by either air, land, or river?
9:40 a.m.
Environmental Consultant, Climate and Water, As an Individual
I have not visited there since before the oil sands project started.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
9:40 a.m.
Environmental Consultant, Climate and Water, As an Individual
I guess not. I've been to Fort McMurray before, but not since the oil sands project started.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Okay.
On page 4 of your 2006 report, you referred to “oil-soaked sands within 75 metres of the surface, bitumen is obtained by 'scraping away an ancient forest of spruce and poplars' and large areas of peat and muskeg”. You also mentioned that in today's testimony.
We took a trip. We flew over. We saw large areas where that was not happening. They were harvesting the wood. Then they were moving the overburden right from one area to a reclaimed area, a former tailings pond, so that it was a stockpile. The overburden has seeds in it, and what they shared with us was that if you harvest the wood, and then you remove the overburden and immediately place it on a reclaimed area, the regrowth happens fairly quickly.
Were you aware of that?
9:40 a.m.
Environmental Consultant, Climate and Water, As an Individual
I have read of that kind of activity, but I've also read of extensive areas in which that hasn't taken place.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Thank you.
On page 6 of your 2006 report, it says that only 10% of the water used is returned to the river. This is referring to the open-pit mining process.
That's not the case. If they're actually removing water from ground sources and from the Athabasca, they're not returning contaminated water to the river. Is that something that has changed now, or were you mistaken in the 2006 report?
9:40 a.m.
Environmental Consultant, Climate and Water, As an Individual
No. My understanding is that because it's contaminated in processing the bitumen, it can't be returned to the river. It is put into the holding ponds.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
But you're saying that 10% is returning to the river. Is that not correct?
9:40 a.m.
Environmental Consultant, Climate and Water, As an Individual
That's a figure that has been obtained from several reports.
9:45 a.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Could you provide those reports and where you are finding that?
9:45 a.m.
Environmental Consultant, Climate and Water, As an Individual
Those were figures taken from the Alberta energy board. I am not sure that the current downturn in the economy will have an effect on that. I would say that the current downturn in the economy gives an opportunity to Alberta and the federal government to undertake the studies that weren't undertaken before.
9:45 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Mr. Warawa, your time has expired. It's only five minutes, and it goes fast.
Mr. Trudeau.