Environment committee  We aren't doing any studies of that sort of thing ourselves, but I know there are programs now that are beginning to collect some actual statistics on deformities of fish, rather than just collecting anecdotes. I should point out something you may know. There was already one si

Environment committee  I'd say with respect to trace metals, it's probably better than something like a lead-zinc mine or a gold mine, because those are mining areas where metals are concentrated. One area where it's significantly worse is polycyclic aromatics and other organic compounds, because this

Environment committee  I'd say both. The prevailing directions are northwest and southwest, but I've also noticed when I've been in the area that you'll often see smoke plumes channelled right down the Athabasca River, either to the north or to the south. So I think the micro-climate around that steep

Environment committee  We designed it, at this point, for a snapshot. Since we've demonstrated that you can pick up clear effects with a well-designed monitoring program, I'm hoping that someone, whether it be a federal government or a provincial government, will step in and see that this type of progr

Environment committee  I could maybe start. I think one of the big factors that will hinder some of the reclamation will be that the base, after the mining is done, is very saline, and a lot of the wetland species that naturally occur in the area will not grow under those saline conditions. There is

Environment committee  Yes, I can.

Environment committee  I have a slide projection I'd like to make. I'm going to start with our study that was set up to examine the claim of industry and the Alberta government that no pollution from the oil sands industry gets into the Athabasca River. After seeing sights like the one shown here, and

Environment committee  I wouldn't say that I've lost total confidence in CEMA. I certainly have in RAMP. CEMA seems to have a spotty future. They have been some good reports and some bad reports. Some of them, like the 2009 one, actually include some of the NPRI data, though one wonders why I can get 2

Environment committee  Yes, I am.

Environment committee  I don't expect it would be a good call. Environment Canada clearly has the responsibility under the Fisheries Act, and I think it should be up to them to go in and enforce it.

Environment committee  I know it's accepted by the scientists because I've talked to several of them. I haven't heard anything from higher levels in Environment Canada.

Environment committee  With respect to water pollution, yes. That's one of several aspects, though.

Environment committee  One of the reviewers of the one that was published was a senior scientist with Environment Canada.

Environment committee  No. I'm told by my colleague that it's under consideration right now, and they're expecting at least to be able to upgrade their monitoring, which in recent years has been pathetic, to put it mildly.

Environment committee  I would say some actual deadlines by which reclamation might be done. I drive by the TransAlta coal-fired power plants every day on my way home, and there is nothing but a little slit that's being mined there, with reclamation within a year or two behind the actual mining. I woul