N.W.T. Doctors Urge Ban on Oil Sands Tailings Release Citing Health Risks

Call for Precaution Amidst Health Concerns

A group of Northwest Territories (N.W.T.) doctors, lawyers, and water rights experts has issued a strong call for a ban on the release of treated oil sands tailings water into the environment. Their demand, highlighted in a recent article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), emphasizes the critical need for rigorous research into the cumulative human health impacts on downstream communities before any such releases are permitted.

The coalition argues that current plans to allow the discharge of partially treated tailings lack sufficient evidence regarding their long-term effects on human health. This stance is rooted in decades of concerns from Indigenous communities and health professionals about the potential for contamination of the Athabasca River and its connected waterways, which flow north through the N.W.T. and into the Arctic Ocean.

Understanding Oil Sands Tailings and Their Scale

Oil sands tailings are a byproduct of extracting bitumen from oil sands ore, primarily in northern Alberta. These waste fluids are a complex mixture of water, sand, clay, unrecovered bitumen, and various toxic chemicals, including naphthenic acids, metals (such as arsenic, mercury, lead, and nickel), petroleum hydrocarbons, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

These tailings are stored in massive open-air reservoirs known as tailings ponds. As of 2023, the volume of fluid tailings and oil sands mine waters on sites reached approximately 1.4 trillion litres, covering an area estimated to be more than twice the size of Vancouver. While current federal regulations prohibit the release of oil sands process-affected water, discussions are underway to develop new regulations that could authorize the release of treated effluent under certain conditions.

Decades of Downstream Health Advocacy

Concerns about the health impacts of oil sands operations, particularly on Indigenous communities, are not new. For instance, Dr. John O'Connor, a physician in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, first raised alarms in 2006 about disproportionately high rates of rare cancers in the community, which is located downstream from the oil sands. His advocacy led to an Alberta Cancer Board study in 2009 that found higher-than-expected cancer rates in Fort Chipewyan.

Indigenous communities, including the Mikisew Cree First Nation and the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, have consistently voiced worries about the contamination of traditional food sources like muskrat, ducks, and moose, and the potential links to health issues. A 2014 community-led study by these First Nations found elevated contaminant levels in local wildlife and a higher incidence of rare cancers among residents. Recent incidents, such as the 5.3 million litres of toxic wastewater that leaked from Imperial Oil's Kearl facility in 2023, further exacerbated these concerns, with the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation filing a lawsuit against the Alberta Energy Regulator for its handling of the spills.

The Call for Rigorous Studies and Precautionary Measures

The N.W.T. doctors and experts, including Dr. Courtney Howard and Dr. Nicole Redvers, emphasize that despite decades of concerns, there remains a striking scarcity of comprehensive, community-led, and scientifically robust studies on the health impacts. They advocate for the application of the 'precautionary principle,' which suggests that measures likely to worsen health should be suspended until rigorous studies are completed.

The federal government, through a Crown-Indigenous Working Group, is exploring options for managing the accumulated oil sands process-affected water and developing potential regulations for treated effluent release. Similarly, the Alberta government announced in September 2025 its intention to create standards for releasing treated oil sands tailings into the environment, following recommendations from a government-appointed committee. However, the medical and expert group insists that any such work must be informed by complete evidence and studies on downstream health impacts, including the findings of a $12 million community-led health study for Fort Chipewyan.