Tell the federal government that your health is a priority and that polluters must be held accountable for what they put into the air, water and land you depend on.

Tell the federal government to investigate and disclose the full impacts of oilsands pollution today.

We want thousands of Canadians to co-sign the letter below. Will you? 

Sign our open letter to Environment Canada and the Director of Public Prosecutions

Dear Minister Kent and Deputy Minister Hamilton and Mr. Saunders,

Upgrading oil extracted from Alberta’s oilsands comes at a cost. Huge amounts of energy are required to extract the thick, tarlike substance from the earth and transform it into synthetic crude oil.

The burning and combustion associated with the upgrading process releases airborne pollutants, including particulate matter containing toxic polycyclic aromatic compounds. Some of these substances have been found to cause cancer in humans and impact the development and survival of fish. 

Research conducted by Ecojustice, a Canadian environmental charity, has revealed that in Northern Alberta, these pollutants end up in the Athabasca River, contaminating a waterway that’s home to more than half of the province’s fish species.

But that’s just part of the story. Because even though the oilsands are one of the biggest industrial projects on the planet, the federal government doesn’t monitor and report oilsands pollution in an accessible, transparent way. That means we have no way of knowing the cumulative effects oilsands production has on human health and the environment.

That needs to end now.

We, the undersigned, urge you to conduct a formal investigation into the scope and impact of oilsands pollution to determine if oilsands operators are breaking the law. We also urge you to disclose your findings to the public.

We care about our health and the health of the environment. We want to know the full story of what’s happening in the oilsands region and how it’s affecting the air, water and land we depend on.

Thank you for your help.