The Government of Alberta held one of its 20 province-wide “water conversations” in La Corey last week, as part of the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Diana McQueen's plan to find out the public opinion regarding water issues in Alberta.
The topic of water usage and development in the immediate area surrounding the various lakes and rivers in the district has been a concern of the publics for years.
At the meeting, there were four separate tables set up, each with its own topic for discussion: water management, hydraulic fracturing and water, healthy lakes, and drinking water and wastewater.
Each conversation lasted 30 minutes, and allowed members of the community to communicate with each other, facilitators and experts in the specific field about the issues each person has, as well as making recommendations on how to implement possible changes.
There were some 40 people in attendance, including Bonnyville town councilor John Irwin, City of Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland and the MLA for Bonnyville-Cold Lake Genia Leskiw.
Of the issues brought up throughout the night, perhaps the most prominent was the public's opinion regarding oil companies' use of fresh water in the area. One individual suggested the companies could move towards using brackish water so as to keep water levels in Cold Lake at a reasonable level.
Leo Himmelsbach, a local engineer, stated that the government needs to do something to avoid a shortage of water in the future.
“I know the government has made projections, but you can't project such things as a draught,” Himmelsbach said. “Back in 1993, we had a bad one – Cold River stopped flowing. We need to make sure we're not wasting water now because we'll need in the future.”
He went on to add that if oil companies absolutely need to use fresh water, they should construct a pipeline stemming from the North Saskatchewan River, instead of the surrounding lakes.
Others were concerned with the effect the oilsands extraction projects were having on the quality and cleanliness of the water in nearby lakes and rivers.
The majority of people sitting around the drinking water and wastewater conversation seemed to share the controversial opinion that oil companies could do what they want because they're effectively the ones providing economic development in the area.
One woman said that because some of the companies have set up base close to different lakes, it would be easy for different chemicals to find their way into the water and compromise its quality.
“I really feel like we've sold our souls to the devil,” she said. “If you look at the executives of these companies, they don't live around here. They're not affected if our water runs out or becomes contaminated.”
Another stated that she had recently relocated to the Bonnyville area from Vancouver and found it incredibly concerning that she was told she shouldn't be drinking water from the tap.
The common consensus seemed to be that people want a law put into place not allowing companies to situate themselves within five miles of bodies of water, so as to help reduce the risk of water contamination.
City of Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland said he wanted to see the government provide educational seminars in the area, so that the larger public can understand exactly what is going on with water in the region, and how important it is to do something about it.
“I think this is a great first step,” Copeland said. “But I think the government has a responsibility to make everyone aware of water issues in Alberta, that way a lot more people can get involved.”
At the end of the night, the conversations' facilitator, Katie Soles summed up some of the key points brought up throughout the night. However there was one comment that stood out for most.
“Water shouldn't be just a priority,” Soles said. “It should be the priority.”
Darrell McDonald, a resident of Cold Lake said that he thought the night went well, with some good ideas and suggestions made.
“I think this was a good way for the public to come out and voice their opinion,” McDonald said. “I was surprised by some of the ideas that came up, there were a lot of smart people here tonight.”
McDonald went on to add that perhaps the Alberta government could look at what other provinces have done in the past as a guideline on how to deal with some issues.
“You only have to look at Quebec to see what can happen when people get involved,” McDonald said. “They had a lot of environmental concerns over there and the people practically stopped excessive industrial development.”
He said that industry in northeast Alberta has already grown at an alarming rate over recent years, comparing it to the snowball effect, where invariably development will start off small, but will quickly grow as time goes on.
“Everything has been growing too fast out here,” McDonald said. “Perhaps we need to be conscious of the environment and develop at a slower pace.”
In light of the issues brought forth, MLA Genia Leskiw was pleased with how the night went.
“I think the conversations did their job,” Leskiw said. “It's important for the people of Alberta to have a say, especially those from the Lakeland area, who hold water near and dear to their hearts.”
Leskiw commended Minister Diana McQueen for staging the conversations, saying it's important that the public get involved in key issues such as the one regarding water.
“We have lots to say,” Leskiw said. “I think you saw tonight that people put their hearts and souls into these discussions. The people know what's important, and they know what they care about.”
For more information regarding the provinces' water conversations or to complete the online workbook, visit www.waterconversation.alberta.ca
