The Mikisew Cree First Nation<\/strong> filed a lawsuit Tuesday against both the Alberta and federal governments, alleging that decades of oilsands development and industrial activity have caused serious health harms to its members \u2014 and that both levels of government failed in their constitutional duty to prevent them.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The statement of claim centres on Fort Chipewyan, a remote community of roughly 900 people in northeastern Alberta, situated directly downstream from major oilsands operations near Fort McMurray.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n A recent report commissioned by the First Nation found cancer rates among Fort Chipewyan residents were 25 per cent higher<\/strong> than the provincial average over a nearly 30-year period, from 1993 to 2022.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Mikisew Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro<\/strong> said preliminary findings identified 149 confirmed cancer cases during that period, but estimated the true number could be closer to 250 or 300. By that estimate, cancer has touched approximately six out of every 10 households in the community.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n “We are seeking accountability and meaningful action to ensure our rights, our lands and our future are protected,” Tuccaro said. “We just want a good, healthy lifestyle like every Albertan deserves.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Alberta’s government pushed back on the health data. A statement from the Ministry of Health said the most recent review by Alberta Health Services<\/strong> found adult cancer rates in the Fort Chipewyan area were “largely in line with the rest of the province,” and reported no pediatric cancer cases in the community.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n “There is no known causal link between oilsands development and cancer rates in the region,” the ministry said, adding it had not yet received the study commissioned by the First Nation.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Alberta Indigenous Relations Minister Rajan Sawhney<\/strong> declined to comment on specifics, citing the active litigation. “Alberta’s government is committed to meaningful consultation on projects where Treaty rights may be affected and we take these responsibilities seriously,” she said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The federal government confirmed it was aware of the statement of claim and said it was “currently reviewing it.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The Mikisew Cree are one of five nations within the Athabasca Tribal Council<\/strong>, with members living on reserves along the Athabasca River and near Wood Buffalo National Park<\/strong> in far northeastern Alberta.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The lawsuit alleges both governments “failed to uphold their constitutional, fiduciary and Treaty obligations” by authorizing extensive industrial development throughout and around Mikisew Cree traditional territory “without adequately managing cumulative environmental and health impacts.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The filing comes weeks after Tuccaro brought the First Nation’s cancer report directly to Ottawa in an effort to compel government action.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Tuccaro made clear that the First Nation is no longer willing to accept consultations that lead nowhere. “Those conversations are not going to be the ones we’ve been having for the last 127 years, where we bring our recommendations forward and then it’s shelved,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n “We need some good, tangible results before anything moves forward.”<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" First Nation Alleges Decades of Industrial Harm The Mikisew Cree First Nation filed a lawsuit Tuesday against both the Alberta and federal governments, alleging that decades of oilsands development and industrial activity have caused serious health harms to its members \u2014 and that both levels of government failed in their constitutional duty to prevent them. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,37],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1043","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-canada","8":"category-news"},"yoast_head":"\nCancer Rates at the Heart of the Claim<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Governments Dispute the Findings<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Constitutional and Treaty Obligations at Issue<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
First Nation Demands Tangible Results<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n