albertaaaaaaaaa

25 May 2020:

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From Chris Stewart for APTN, “Regional chief says First Nations not consulted as Alberta loosens open-pit mining rules.” 25 May 2020:

But Jesse Cardinal, interim director of Keepers of the Water, says open-pit coal mining will cause a lot of harm. “The Athabasca River flows all the way to the Arctic Ocean,” she said. “So all of those communities depend on that access to the fresh water to feed into that river. Same with the South Saskatchewan River. That goes all the way to Hudson Bay, so that goes all the way to eastern Canada. You think about fresh water that is giving life to these rivers, to keep them clean, so this is a huge, huge concern.”

Marlene Poitras, Alberta regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations, says there was no warning about coal mining. “We have three treaties in Alberta: Treaty 6, Treaty 7 and Treaty 8 that covers the entire province,” said Poitras. “And I think that’s a significant decision to move forward with coal mining, and I think First Nations should be consulted.”

She added that the caribou and grizzlies in the area need protection and the lack of consultation could lead to resistance.