spill

Province waited a month to declare emergency response to northern Alberta oilsands releases: document

Province waited a month to declare emergency response to northern Alberta oilsands releases: document

The Alberta government waited a month before calling an emergency response to one of the biggest releases of oilsands tailings in the province's history, a leaked document shows. The document, obtained by The Canadian Press, shows the province didn't initiate an emergency response until after First Nations chiefs in the area went public about how they were informed of the releases from Imperial Oil's Kearl mine, about 70 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, Alta.

A Mi’kmaq community’s fears of toxic water recede as Northern Pulp mill winds down

A Mi’kmaq community’s fears of toxic water recede as Northern Pulp mill winds down

For decades, Pictou Landing First Nation has lived uneasily near an industrial plant emitting brown, foul-smelling waste and the effluent treatment facility they say causes respiratory and skin illnesses. Now, the mill is being mothballed. Ms. Francis, a member of Pictou Landing First Nation, fought for years to stop toxic wastewater from the Northern Pulp plant from being pumped into a tidal estuary next to her community. After decades of court battles, environmental studies and protests, people on the Nova Scotia reserve are hopeful they may one day be able trust their water and land again.

Heating oil drains into Ottawa River after spill in downtown Gatineau, Que.

Heating oil drains into Ottawa River after spill in downtown Gatineau, Que.

An undetermined amount of heating oil has ended up in the Ottawa River after a spill in downtown Gatineau, Que., near the offices of the provincial environment ministry. The spill happened at 170 rue de l'Hôtel de Ville during a delivery Friday, according to an email from ministry spokesperson Alexandre Ouellet, the regional director of the Outaouais Environmental Control Center.