Ottawa and provincial regulators in Alberta will take a greater hand in monitoring the environmental effects of the oilsands, according to a new plan revealed on Friday.
But instead of an independent monitoring system, bureaucrats will chiefly analyze the data -- at least for now.
Environment Minster Peter Kent defended that caveat by noting that the data collected from the monitoring system will be eventually be available to academics and NGOs, in addition to government scientists.
"This will be a much more comprehensive monitoring of water and air and biodiversity," Kent told CTV's Power Play on Friday.
The announcement comes after years of concern that explosive oilsands growth has been permanently altering the landscape and the ecosystem in the region around Fort McMurray, Alta.
Still, Kent said that the data would also be used to defend the industry against a growing public backlash that has seen environmentalists from around the world decry Alberta's oil industry as unsustainable.
"It's not a prosecutorial system, it's a scientific system to dispel an awful lot of the myths and mischaracterizations that we see today."
But Green Party Leader Elizabeth May took issue with Kent's assertions that the oilsands were being unjustly slammed.
While May welcomed the new plan, she noted that what came before was a "negligent lack of monitoring."
May noted that the new system was instigated by scientific data that showed toxic chemicals were seeping into the region's Athabasca River.
"The lack of monitoring constitutes an illegal activity that violated the Fisheries Act on a daily basis," said May.
"I hope they get it right, I think they have to"
Science-based
Kent noted that the plan is based on 18-months of peer-reviewed consultations with scientists and policy makers.
The new monitoring system could be in place as early as the spring. It's expected that there could be 172 monitoring sites in the region around the oilsands. Currently, there are 110 sites.
Officials will also cast a wider net and search for more chemicals and potential pollutants.
"Basically, what we're doing is establishing relevant data upon which to base future regulatory decisions," said Kent, speaking from Edmonton.
The plan will also monitor areas in Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories and will be paid for by the industry at an estimated cost of $50 million.
While scientists have been monitoring the region for years, Alberta Environment Minister Diana McQueen conceded that its time to take it to the next level.
"We know that we need to do more to up our game in regards to that," she said, adding that she wants to make sure "that as we grow the oilsands and grow the economy in Alberta, that we're also growing environmental management."
When asked what would be the result if a growing number of pollutants are indeed discovered in the wilds of northern Alberta, McQueen was quick to point out that leaders will respond.
"If there are areas that arise … that's the whole point of this system."
With a report from The Canadian Press
