Environmental advocates in the N.W.T. want to see transboundary agreement enforced

I'm currently standing in front of Great Slave Lake, one of the largest freshwater resources in the Northwest Territories. But upstream in Alberta, plans to release treated oil sands tailings are raising concerns about what could eventually flow into these shared northern waters. The advocacy group Alternatives North has sent a formal letter to the NWT government regarding Suncor's proposed wastewater release plans. It's urging the NWT to use pre-existing transboundary water agreements with Alberta. They're not legally enforceable, but an environmental advocate, Don Jackie from Fort Smith, says there's an ethical duty to protect northern waters. This is seemingly being supported by the federal government. It's certainly being pushed by the Alberta government. So they have a responsibility to deal with those tailings and dumping them in the river is not the way to do it. The NWT environment minister says primary regulatory authority rests in Ottawa, but the territory is gathering data to help guide federal decisions. He emphasizes that the territory stands with concerned communities and will oppose any discharge until more data is available. Our position is firm that we at this time we do not support treat and release until the science proves to us that it is safe to do so and it is in the best interest of the residents of the Northwest Territories. The former NWT Deputy Environment Minister Ernie Campbell says building trust requires translating dense technical studies into plain language reports for northern residents. He stresses that local communities want responsible development, but standard protections must come first. How do we figure out approaches, collaboratively, working together, where we can still have major projects, we can still have opportunities for our young people, but yet, how do we figure that out and do it right? In July, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith outlined plans alongside Prime Minister Mark Carney to double oil productions in the next decade. Advocates like Jackie said that doubling oil productions also will mean doubling oil sands tailings. He says that territorial governments should confront provincial and federal governments about Alberta's current solutions. He also says that big energy companies like Suncor should invest their own capital in engineering their closed-loop systems for finding better solutions. Samantha Lee, CBC News, Yellowknife.