Chip Health Concerns Inconclusive: MP Jean says good records have not been kept

Shawn Bell, June 9, 2009, Slave River Journal--The MP responsible for Fort Chipewyan says while concerns about cancer in the community are valid, information is inconclusive and further studies need to be done.
Brian Jean, MP for Fort McMurray-Athabasca, says he has been keeping close watch on the health concerns in Fort Chipewyan for the past three years but hasn’t heard anything conclusive enough to warrant immediate action.

“Right now the studies have not proved anything, including health effects,” Jean said. “I’ve looked closely at the statistical data, and overall the numbers are very close to the Alberta average.”

While he acknowledges the federal government’s responsibility for First Nations in Fort Chipewyan, Jean pointed out the responsibility for industry rests on the province, making it difficult to determine who is responsible overall.

Besides, the MP said there needs to be further examination of the potential causes.

“We don’t know what the causation is,” Jean said. “Is it Uranium City, or what has been happening across the lake, or the Bennett dam, or the oilsands that have been leaking for 10,000 years before we got here? The evidence is inconclusive.”

Jean said he was promised a new report that would conclusively describe health problems in Fort Chipewyan during his meeting with community stakeholders two weeks ago, but hasn’t received it.

Yet he emphasized the federal government is taking the issues of water and air pollution very seriously.

“This is of great concern to us,” he said. “We’ve acted very aggressively on water and air quality.”

And he assured that no matter the discussion of government responsibility in Fort Chipewyan, if environmental issues are shown to be directly related to health, action will be taken immediately.

In the meantime Jean believes better records of health concerns must be kept.
“I think good records have not been kept in Fort Chipewyan,” he said.