Grant: Project Grant

There is ongoing and significant concern that wastewaters from oil sands industrial activity in Northern Alberta are negatively affecting the environment and health of animals and people living in the Peace-Athabasca Delta. In consultation with youth, elders, and traditional land users from Fort Chipewyan (AB) this project was co-designed to assess the impact of oil sands wastewaters (from tailings ponds and spills), on mammalian reproduction. This is a participatory community based project to enable two-way exchanges of information, and to facilitate the co-production (and analysis) of knowledge with the full support of the Nipiy Tu Research and Knowledge Centre (an Indigenous-led knowledge centre) in Fort Chipewyan (AB). This study will examine the impacts of exposure to oil sands wastewaters on reproductive success in experimental animals and extend these findings to reproduction in wildlife species with important cultural and economic significance for members of the Indigenous nations living in the Peace-Athabasca Delta. Results from this study will provide evidence-based information about the impacts of exposure to oil sands wastewaters to ensure that the Indigenous communities in the Peace-Athabasca Delta can protect their culture and territories.