Never Trust a Spokesperson
This latest study finds increased levels of mercury, arsenic and other carcinogens in the Athabasca River, further substantiating claims that the Tar Sands industry is contaminating the Athabasca and sickening Ft. Chipewyan residents downstream:
November 11, 2007 New York Times Article
The study itself can be viewed here in .PDF format:
Athabasca River Pollution Study
Of special interest:
“There is nothing really new in these allegations, we have been looking into them for some two years now,†Mr. May (a spokesman for Alberta’s Department of Health and Wellness) wrote, adding that the government investigation has found “no higher incidence of cancer in Fort Chipewyan than the rest of the province, and we stand by that analysis unless and until we are provided with further evidence.”
In fact, Alberta Health may already possess the incriminating evidence.
The saga began when Dr. O’Conner began seeing patents in Ft. Chipewyan and witnessed higher incidence of cancer and other pollutant-related illness:
March ‘06 CBC News Edmonton Article
Two months after Dr. O’Conner went to the media with his findings, the government reluctantly conducted this overly-hasty and inconclusive study:
July ‘07 CBC News Calgary Article
Dr. O’Conner’s objections to the study’s thoroughness earned him an slap in the face when Alberta Health and Environment Canada filed complaints to the College of Physicians and Surgeons in an apparent attempt to silence him, charging that he was raising undue alarm and contradicting an authoritative study. An article in Canada’s National Review of Medicine stepped up to exhonerate him, showing that the government study with a complete data-set supported O’Conner’s suspicions of increased cancer rates at Ft. Chipewyan:
March ‘07 National Review of Medicine Article
Alberta Health and Wellness would be well advised to stop waiting for “further evidence” when its own study already says it all.
Filed under: Commentary, Environmental Justice, Media, TTTS on November 10th, 2007
It would be hard for me to believe that in an open and fair democracy with a well-educated citizenry, there could exist a government willing to support policies which could potentially be - or in this case, have been proven to be - harmful to myself, my family, my neighbours, and my other fellow citizens. Yet, Alberta’s Health Ministry has so blantantly ignored the hazards brought about by the exploitation of oil from the tar sands, that it has brought such fears into reality.
The Ministry’s interests (and arguably, all other government ministries’ interests as well) should be placed in providing a healthy environment for the province’s citizens, rather than attempting to promote the province’s economic performance. If it is not willing to provide such services, then why should we even bother having a ministry with that mandate? Instead, we should encourage the Dr. O’Conners of our society, those who are willing to stand up against such malevolent greed, to continue their efforts, if only to ensure that we’ll survive long enough to see a positive change in this province.
The John O’Connor story has really made me think about what it means to be a “professional”. Professionals aren’t just yuppies with highly skilled jobs. There is a technical definition of professionalism that goes along the lines of : being responsible to society at large on top of your responsibility to your employer. I think there is a lot of power in the concept of professionalism. It requires you, but also gives you the license to stand up for the truth. If we took professionalism seriously as a society, Dr. O’Connor would not be harassed and his job in the public sector put in jeopardy. He would in fact be supported and encouraged by the system. That’s the kind of society I would like to see someday.
In the meantime, lets declare Dr. O’Connor the winner of the Giraffe Award for sticking out his neck and standing up for the residents of Fort Chipewyan. Congratulations Dr. O’Connor!
I have posted Dr. Kevin P. Timoney’s alarming new study on contamination and human health in Fort Chipewyan in the Tar Sands 101 section of this website.
The reason our elected officials do not often make a stand for the health and well-being of the citizens is because we do not operate in a democracy. Democracy requires that the population is informed and that each person has an equal vote. Clearly, this is not the case. We are not informed, studies on the hazards in our environment are not released, information on the deals our government makes with other countries and corporations are not available for discussion and debate before agreements go through. And even though we can all vote for our officials, our voices are not equal in public decision making, as Bill 46 makes even more evident. We vote not only with ballots, but also with dollars, and this is why our voices are not equal and one of the reasons democracy does not exist.
The government will not stand up for the citizens of Fort Chipewyan or Alberta at large until their voices are greater than those of the corporations and the external political pressures. This requires a truly informed and truly furious population. Let’s keep the information and passion alive.