Put First Nations in charge of oil pipeline safety and spill response – The Globe and Mail

Jul. 24, 2015

Roger McDonnell is an anthropologist who has spent decades developing programs with First Nations communities across central Alberta and throughout the boreal forest on issues related to treaty rights, consultation, conservation, justice, health and self-government.

The Nexen pipeline rupture discovered this month near Fort McMurray will, predictably, cause untold contamination to the area’s soil, water, flora and fauna.

It is also a reminder – despite smug reassurances from the federal government – that Canada does not have a “world-class” oil-spill response plan; it has a world-class oil-spill problem. Apathy trumps action when it comes to enacting measures that could diminish the magnitude of future accidents.

Read More: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/put-first-nations-in-charge-of-oil-pipeline-safety-and-spill-response/article25672460/