Fort Chipewyan timeline

1999

 

Government reviews human health in Fort Chipewyan
The government's Northern River Basin Study team does a review of human health in Fort Chipewyan. The panel recommends closer monitoring of human health in the community, specifically on non-communicable diseases such as cancers.

2003

October

Community leaders want a baseline health study
The Fort McMurray Medical Association attends two separate hearings for Shell and Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.’s oilsands applications. Dr. Michel Sauvé, a local internal medicine specialist, talks about seeing unusual disease rates in First Nation communities, specifically Fort Chipewyan. Then chief of the Mikisew Cree, Archie Waquan, says his community needs a baseline health study.

2004

January 27

Community leaders want a baseline health study
Alberta Energy and Utilities Board recommends, as one of 17 conditions for approval of CNRL’s oilsands Horizon Project, a study be done of First Nations’ health, paid for by the oil companies and led by government. Members of federal and provincial governments, First Nations communities and the oil industry were to create the plan for a study. The plan has yet to be implemented.

2006

March 10

Fort Chipewyan doctor speaks out for the first time
A member of Fort McMurray’s business community tells CBC Radio reporter Erik Denison to look into health concerns in Fort Chipewyan. The community’s doctor, John O’Connor, reluctantly agrees to speak with CBC Radio about his concerns. He reports seeing higher-than-expected rates of some diseases such as bowel and blood cancers, and specifically seeing three and possibly five cases of a rare bile duct cancer in the community of 1,200, a disease that normally occurs in one person in 100,000.

March 10

Doctor requests new investigation
John O’Connor, a Fort Chipewyan physician and the community’s medical examiner, requests an investigation by Health Canada into the unusually high rate of cancer and immune diseases in Fort Chipewyan.

April

Government promises new, lengthy study
Alberta Health and Health Canada promise quick action to look into the concerns. Officials say study results could take up to a year to produce, and there won’t be quick answers. The health agencies from both levels of government convene a meeting of various parties, including representatives from Fort Chipewyan, to plot out a health study.

May 17

Government scientists visit Fort Chipewyan
A team of government scientists arrives in Fort Chipewyan to help determine why the community of 1,200 is plagued with serious illnesses including leukemia, lymphomas, lupus, and autoimmune diseases.

July 14

Alberta Health releases study results at an oilsands hearing
Alberta Health releases a health analysis of the community at a hearing into Suncor’s application for an oilsands operation expansion without notifying media or people living in Fort Chipewyan. Analysis shows higher-than-expected rates of various forms of cancers, specifically the ones O’Connor is concerned about. The exception is the rare form of bile duct cancer: government records show just one case when O’Connor’s shows three and possibly five cases. The analysis is not released to the media at the time.

July 18

Alberta Health study finds no cancer concerns
A summary of Alberta Health’s analysis is released to the media who were not present at the Suncor hearing. It says there are no cancer concerns in the community at all. Alberta Health spokesman Howard May tells CBC News there is no other document available.

July 19

Alberta Health scientist admits using incomplete data
Dr. Yiqun Chen, head of the surveillance at the Alberta Cancer Board, tells CBC News she used incomplete data to prepare the cancer analysis on Fort Chipewyan. When asked whether the government was going to do further study, spokesman Howard May says the ministry stands by the scientific rigour of the health analysis and concludes there are no cancer problems in Fort Chipewyan.

July 20

Community leaders angry at incomplete study
O’Connor and First Nations chiefs in Fort Chipewyan express anger that Alberta Health’s analysis was first released at Suncor’s hearing rather than to the community. O’Connor says he wasn’t asked for any input, and his files were not inspected by anyone. Alberta Health spokesman Howard May responds that the government didn’t need to ask him for help, since staff used a cancer database in Edmonton and boxes of health files sent to them from Fort Chipewyan’s nursing station.

July 26

Alberta Health offers CBC its study's raw data
In response to questions about why Alberta Health's statistical analysis of cancer rates had not been peer reviewed, the ministry offers to allow CBC to bring in an independent statistician to analyze the information. CBC management declines and suggests the offer be made to the community raising the concerns, and the broadcaster would report on the results.

July

Alberta's health minister commits to helping community
Responding to growing criticism of the health analysis, then Alberta health minister Iris Evans commits publicly to giving the community whatever else it wants.

July

Alberta Health's independent chart review is stalled
Fort Chipewyan’s community members do not believe Alberta Health’s analysis, especially after researchers admitted using incomplete data. Alberta Health agrees to do an independent chart review using University of Alberta researchers. Chart review is stalled because nurses and O’Connor raise privacy concerns, wondering whether researchers have legal access to charts. Chart review does not go ahead.

September

Alberta Health presents results of its July 2006 study to Fort Chipewyan
Representatives from Alberta Health and Wellness fly to Fort Chipewyan to present the analysis it had already released at the Suncor hearing. Residents are angry because the cancer analysis was not released to the community before it was released to the oil industry in July 2006. They dispute the findings and demand a baseline health study to track health changes over time.

September

Alberta Health sees no need for further study
Alberta Health’s executive director of health and surveillance branch, Alex Mackenzie, says the government’s analysis shows there are no problems in the community and he does not see a reason for further study.

Nov. 10

Suncor study shows 453 times the acceptable levels of arsenic in moose meat
Fort Chipewyan residents find out a Suncor Energy environmental study estimates an increase of 453 times the acceptable levels of arsenic with more oilsands development. Community finds out about the study released at Suncor’s hearings in July, 2006 through a newspaper story.
CBC story: Fort Chip doctor rails against government inaction (Nov. 15)
CBC story: Imperial, gov't say arsenic scare unfounded (Nov. 16)
CBC story: Moose meat reports confusing residents (Nov. 17)

Nov. 14

Suncor's Voyageur project is approved despite arsenic findings
Alberta Energy and Utilities Board approves Suncor’s Voyageur project, and notes that Suncor’s own study showed high concentrations of arsenic in moose meat samples. However, "the board will not condition the approval of this project based on the outcome of the arsenic study," it says in its decision.

2007

March 27

Alberta doctors support outspoken O'Connor
The Alberta Medical Association passes a unanimous motion supporting O’Connor. Doctors have a right to speak out on issues of public concern, the AMA says in a statement. Health Canada still won't talk about why it thinks O'Connor is unduly raising concern, while O'Connor can't talk until the complaint with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta is resolved.
CBC story: Alberta doctors support outspoken peer

April

Alberta Health spokesmen contradict themselves in the media
Alex Mackenzie, director of health surveillance at Alberta Health, tells Shelagh Rogers on CBC Radio’s Sounds Like Canada that he can’t justify spending money on a thorough health study of Fort Chipewyan because there are many communities also concerned about the effects of resource development. Alberta Health spokesman Howard May contradicts Mackenzie in The Edmonton Journal, saying there has always been a standing offer to do a health study for the community.

April 16

Alberta to test 30,000 for toxins
Alberta will test the blood of more than 30,000 people, and examine samples from pregnant women and up to 1,500 children, CBC News learns. Scientists will look for toxins from industrial pollution and other sources in reaction to growing public concern that the rapid pace of industrial development is harming people's health. Applauded by some, while others say urine and fat should also be tested.
CBC story: Alberta embarks on toxin testing

May

Stelmach meets with U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney
Community's situation starts to attract international media attention, including from The New York Times and Mother Jones magazine.
Mother Jones: Scenes from the tar wars

September

Canadian Medical Association calls for whistleblower protection
The Canadian Medical Association passes a resolution calling for the protection of doctors who speak out publicly in defence of their patients. The resolution is similar to the one passed by Alberta Medical Association in response to Health Canada’s complaint against O’Connor.

Nov. 7

Results of Fort Chipewyan's independent study released
Results are released from an independent study commissioned by Fort Chipewyan's First Nations into the water quality of Athabasca River. The study, by independent ecologist and statistician Kevin Timoney, shows high levels of carcinogens and toxic substances in fish, water and sediment downstream from Alberta’s oilsands projects. It also says industry funded and operated water-quality monitoring is poor, inconsistent and not scientifically sound. The Alberta government dismisses the findings as old, misleading and inaccurate, but does not provide report of its own.
CBC story: Study contradicts earlier findings on N. Alberta water quality

April

$25-million campaign to rebrand Alberta's environmental image
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach announces his government is launching a $25-million re-branding initiative, partly to revamp the province's environmental image; critics say they would rather see the money spent on cleaning up the oilsands rather than Alberta's environmental image.

2008

Feb. 15

Alberta tarsand is 'the most destructive project on Earth': report
Environmental Defence, a Toronto-based group, releases report calling the oilsands “the most destructive project on Earth.”  The organization and other environmental groups start using Fort Chipewyan's complaints as proof that new oilsands approvals should be halted until health concerns are investigated.
CBC story: Feds allowing tarsands to become 'most destructive project on Earth': report
CBC's Your View

April

Suncor admits its toxic tailings pond is leaking
Suncor is asked to come to Fort Chipewyan to talk about discharges of wastewater into the Athabasca River. Suncor admits one of its tailings ponds is likely leaking millions of litres into the river every day. Anger and shouting by residents prevents Suncor from getting past the fourth slide of their presentation about unauthorized discharges into the river. Suncor has never been fined for these leaks or discharges.

April 29

500 ducks trapped on toxic tailings pond
Five hundred ducks are found dead or dying in a tailings pond owned by Syncrude Energy at its Aurora North Site mine, north of Fort McMurray. The ducks were coated in oil when they landed in the toxic wastewater because diversion devices were not operational. Some ducks were able to fly away.
CBC story: Hundreds of ducks trapped on toxic Alberta oilsands pond

May 2

Oil-coated duck found in Fort Chipewyan
An oil-coated duck is found by a hunter in Fort Chipewyan, raising concerns about contamination of traditional food.
CBC story: Search widens for oil-covered ducks in Alberta

May 22

Fort Chipewyan's water quality one of the worse in Canada: report
Ontario-based Polaris Institute releases a report that finds Fort Chipewyan has some of the worst water quality of any First Nation in Canada.
Full report (PDF)

May 22

'Comprehensive' review of cancer rates announced
The Alberta government and Health Canada launch a new “comprehensive” investigation into cancer complaints, and say they will heavily involve the community. They promise to be thorough and include a wide range of information sources, and to release the report later in the fall, but refuse to give other details. Community members and health professionals applaud the decision and hope it will produce concrete answers. Roxanne Marcel, chief of Mikisew Cree, tells CBC News there have been six cancer deaths in her community in the first five months of 2008.
CBC story:'Comprehensive' review of Fort Chipewyan cancer rates announced

July

Local chief not contacted for study
Athabasca Chipewyan Chief Allan Adam says the Alberta Cancer Board has made no effort to work with his community in its “comprehensive analysis” of cancer rates.

July 9

Alberta Cancer Board refuses to release study's protocol
Reporters from Alberta’s largest media outlets send a letter to the Alberta Cancer Board asking for a copy of its research protocol for new analysis of Fort Chipewyan cancer concerns. The reporters also request to interview the principal researcher. Spokesperson Lee Elliot refuses to release protocol or make researcher available until after study is complete.

August

Fort Chipewyanians travel to Norway to discourage oilsands investment
Representatives of Fort Chipewyan travel to Norway to meet with legislators and representatives of Statoil, Norway's national oil company, in an attempt to dissuade the company from investing in Alberta’s oilsands.

August 17

Conference delegates form new coalition to fight oilsands expansion
Keepers of the Water conference, which began two days earlier in Fort Chipewyan, wraps up with delegates agreeing to form a coalition to fight governments and industry over any expansion of the oilsands. "We're going to come out with one message: Protect the environment and the water at all costs," said Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. The coalition proposes to hold civil demonstrations, launch legal challenges and start public information campaigns across Europe and North America to call for a moratorium on further oilsands development.

Aug. 18

Mutated fish discovery alarms community
News breaks that children fishing from a dock on Lake Athabaska have caught a mutated fish with two mouths.
CBC story: Mutated fish alarms delegates at northern Alberta water gathering

Oct. 7

Neve Cambell meets Fort Chipewyan chiefs
International pressure continues to mount as Neve Campbell, star of the movie trilogy Scream, visits Fort McMurray for a tour of oilsands operations and meets with both Fort Chipewyan chiefs, Roxanne Marcel of the Mikisew Cree First Nation and Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.

October 9

Film critical of oilsands on Oscar short list
Downstream, a documentary film by Leslie Iwerks about Fort Chipewyan and Dr. O’Connor by U.S. filmmaker Leslie Iwerks, is short-listed for an Academy Award.
CBC story: Film critical of Alberta oilsands on Oscar short list

October 31

U.N. water adviser calls for oilsand moratorium
Maude Barlow, UN water adviser and chair of the Council of Canadians, likens Alberta’s oilsands to the fictional dark world of Mordor in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books. She calls for a halt to all new oilsands development so the health and environmental impact of such projects on regions such as Fort Chipewyan can be studied.
CBC In depth: Why the oilsands are called 'dirty oil'

Nov. 1:

Hundreds protest oilsands development
Hundreds of Fort Chipewyan residents and activists walk through downtown Edmonton in a demonstration organized by the Council of Canadians. The participants – including council chair Barlow, Edmonton-Strathcona MP Linda Duncan, Friends of Medicare executive director David Eggen, Greenpeace organizer Mike Hudema and Parkland Institute director Gordon Laxer – call for a slowdown of oilsands development.
YouTube: Video of rally

Nov. 3:

No comprehensive review intended, new documents reveal
CBC News obtains documents showing the Alberta Cancer Board never intended to undertake a comprehensive analysis of health concerns in Fort Chipewyan as spokesperson Lee Elliot had suggested. Instead, the documents show, the board had always planned to do a basic database search and limited review of medical charts. Elliot, a public relations officer, is listed as one of the lead investigators on the Fort Chipewyan cancer analysis announced May 22, 2008.

Nov. 8:

Alberta Environment Minister announces Fort Chipewyan visit
Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner announces he will visit Fort Chipewyan and meet with aboriginal chiefs and community leaders about complaints of high cancer rates.
CBC story: Environment minister to hear Fort Chipewyan health concerns

Nov. 10:

Fort Chipewyan community rejects cancer board's analysis
Before it was even completed, Fort Chipewyan First Nations' leaders and their health authority, the Nunee Health Region, reject the cancer board's analysis. They say the board did not fulfill its promise to involve them in the study's design, and did not consult them about its progress.

2009

Feb. 6

Fort Chip cancer rates higher than expected: report
The number of cancer cases in Fort Chipewyan is higher than expected, according to a report from Alberta Health Services released Friday. Fifty-one cancers in 47 people were found between 1995 and 2006, a dozen more than the 39 cancers that were expected, and the incidences of some cancers warrant more followup, the report said.
CBC story: Fort Chip cancer rates higher than expected: report
CBC Video: Play: Real Media » | Play: QuickTime » (Runs 2:24)

Mar. 6

Fort Chip cancer rates higher than expected: report
The Oscar short-listed documentary, Downstream, premiers in Fort Chipewyan, Calgary and Edmonton. The documentary tells the story of O'Connor's attempts at bringing attention to the high rates of cancer in Fort Chipewyan.

Mar. 9

Former Fort Chip doctor calls for oilsands slowdown
At a discussion after the screening of Downstream, O'Connor called on industry and the province to slow down the pace of development. O'Connor, who was the first to raise concerns about cancer rates in Fort Chipewyan three years ago — and became the target of a professional complaint — said he'd do it all again.
CBC story: Former Fort Chip doctor calls for oilsands slowdown

Mar. 10

Researcher finds thousands of environmental incidents
Ecologist and environment researcher, Kevin Timoney, presents his findings in Fort Chipewyan, concluding a 8-month review of the environmental impacts of the oilsands in northeastern Alberta. He found over 6000 incidences have been reported by oilsands companies to Alberta Environment since 1996.