Canada 53
people in town, before Europeans came, so everyone did whatever they had
to do to make a living for your family, and that is the way we used to live.
(quoted in Behr, 2013)
The proposed resources management plan contemplates: the establishment of
land disturbance limits; defining and implementing culturally relevant reclamation
plans for damaged areas; strict monitoring, reporting and compliance to specific
air quality standards; controlled surface and ground water withdrawals and effluent
quality monitoring; protection and reclamation of wetlands; ensuring fish and
wildlife impact mitigation and monitoring; and protecting traditional routes and
areas located in the zone (Alberta Ministry of Environemnt and Parks, 2018a).
The protected land areas can be aligned with the 2012 federal policy Federal
Recovery Strategy for Woodland Caribou – Boreal Population which recommended
that implementation plans should be set at the provincial level to protect 65% of
caribou ranges by October 2017 (Environment Canada, 2012). Currently in
Alberta, between 57% and 95% of each caribou range is disturbed by industrial
activities (Russell, Pendlebury, and Ronson, 2016). Other important strategies are
to demand rigorous industrial best practices for companies operating in the area to
reduce land and water use, and to increase the footprint reclamation rate while
considering biodiversity and potential future uses of the reclaimed land (ALCES
and Integral Ecology Group, 2013). The implementation of this plan is expected
to mitigate the effects of industrial development and enable the recovery of the
ecology and biodiversity of the area. These changes could allow the members of
the community of Fort McKay to practice their traditional way of living and
knowledge dissemination practices. In addition, this plan is expected to still allow
significant bitumen extraction and related industrial activities in order to
maintain the influx of economic benefits from the traditional territory.
The intention behind land management is to provide a protected space for
the ecosystem and to support traditional land- use practices. Parts of the land
have been used by families for hunting and trapping for many generations, while
berries and herbs are collected for consumption and medicinal uses. Securing
these ranges of land provides assurance that both environmental and traditional
practices can be preserved while the industrial activity keeps its course. There
are also hopes that a paced development might lead to more thoughtful
resource- extraction practices. The communities living close to the oil sands
would like to be able to drink tap water without the fear of health concerns
from the effluent released by industry. They would also like to keep their
windows open to let in the breeze without concerns of foul smells and poor air
quality (Thurton, 2018). If the land around the community is allowed to
recover, community members can once again pick berries and consume them
without the fear of contamination from the land. The moose and birds may also
return to the land and bring with them the assurance that the ecosystem is
being restored. The protection of areas of land is expected to have a positive
impact on the health of ecosystems needed for species to maintain their
population. Members of the community are not only calling for the right to
people in town, before Europeans came, so everyone did whatever they had
to do to make a living for your family, and that is the way we used to live.
(quoted in Behr, 2013)
The proposed resources management plan contemplates: the establishment of
land disturbance limits; defining and implementing culturally relevant reclamation
plans for damaged areas; strict monitoring, reporting and compliance to specific
air quality standards; controlled surface and ground water withdrawals and effluent
quality monitoring; protection and reclamation of wetlands; ensuring fish and
wildlife impact mitigation and monitoring; and protecting traditional routes and
areas located in the zone (Alberta Ministry of Environemnt and Parks, 2018a).
The protected land areas can be aligned with the 2012 federal policy Federal
Recovery Strategy for Woodland Caribou – Boreal Population which recommended
that implementation plans should be set at the provincial level to protect 65% of
caribou ranges by October 2017 (Environment Canada, 2012). Currently in
Alberta, between 57% and 95% of each caribou range is disturbed by industrial
activities (Russell, Pendlebury, and Ronson, 2016). Other important strategies are
to demand rigorous industrial best practices for companies operating in the area to
reduce land and water use, and to increase the footprint reclamation rate while
considering biodiversity and potential future uses of the reclaimed land (ALCES
and Integral Ecology Group, 2013). The implementation of this plan is expected
to mitigate the effects of industrial development and enable the recovery of the
ecology and biodiversity of the area. These changes could allow the members of
the community of Fort McKay to practice their traditional way of living and
knowledge dissemination practices. In addition, this plan is expected to still allow
significant bitumen extraction and related industrial activities in order to
maintain the influx of economic benefits from the traditional territory.
The intention behind land management is to provide a protected space for
the ecosystem and to support traditional land- use practices. Parts of the land
have been used by families for hunting and trapping for many generations, while
berries and herbs are collected for consumption and medicinal uses. Securing
these ranges of land provides assurance that both environmental and traditional
practices can be preserved while the industrial activity keeps its course. There
are also hopes that a paced development might lead to more thoughtful
resource- extraction practices. The communities living close to the oil sands
would like to be able to drink tap water without the fear of health concerns
from the effluent released by industry. They would also like to keep their
windows open to let in the breeze without concerns of foul smells and poor air
quality (Thurton, 2018). If the land around the community is allowed to
recover, community members can once again pick berries and consume them
without the fear of contamination from the land. The moose and birds may also
return to the land and bring with them the assurance that the ecosystem is
being restored. The protection of areas of land is expected to have a positive
impact on the health of ecosystems needed for species to maintain their
population. Members of the community are not only calling for the right to