The federal and provincial governments have announced a joint project to increase public access to monitoring data about the Alberta oil sands - an effort both levels of government say should reassure residents and others, including foreign corporations and governments.
The new online data portal (www.jointoilsandsmonintoring.ca) allows access to government environmental monitoring data on air, water, land and biodiversity in the oil sands.
As one of the vital economic drivers of both the Alberta and Canadian economies, the success or failure of the oil sands is and should be of keen interest to all Albertans.
Although there are no oil sands developments in West Central Alberta, without the billions of dollars generated by the oil sands projects in northern Alberta, residents and communities here would certainly feel a dramatic negative impact on healthcare, education, infrastructure and other spending.
Alberta Environment Minister Diana McQueen says the new data portal project should help to reassure everyone that Alberta is doing all it can to make sure the oil sands are developed and managed in an environmentally responsible manner.
ìAlberta is proud to co-lead the development and implementation of this world-class, science-based monitoring program for the oil sands,î said Minister McQueen.
ìBy openly reporting on our data and our progress, we are ensuring the rest of the world recognizes our commitment to responsible and sustainable resource development.î
Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent added: ìWith this portal, our respective governments are actively encouraging informed discussions and analysis on the impacts of oil sands development based on high-quality scientific information.î
The biggest threat to oil sands development is not from within the county, but rather from outside Canada, where critics have been trying very hard over the past many years to make categorize Alberta's oil sands production as ëdirty oil' that is environmentally unsustainable and therefore to be avoided.
If foreign markets turned their back on Alberta oil sands oil, it would kill the industry in short order.
As such this latest federal-provincial effort to make data about the oil sands more readily available is a good step in combating the critics' contentions that the Redford and Harper governments are more interested in profits than in environmental protection when it comes to oil sands development.
However, access to monitoring data should in no way be construed as a substitute for ongoing and open enforcement of violations of environmental standards and rules by the oil sands developers.
The best way to protect the long-term viability of the vital Alberta oil sands economic engine is to make sure it is as clean and safe as possible, for everyone's sake.
