David Suzuki at the rally. Photo courtesy Facebook, Sadi Broncho.
A four-legged attendee at the Kisiskatchewan Water Alliance Network Rally. Photo courtesy Facebook, Estelle Hjertaas.
Communities that count on the North Saskatchewan River may have gotten the go-ahead to use the water that was contaminated by oil in late July, but hundreds of people gathered in Saskatoon on Sunday don’t want this to be the end when it comes to calling for greater protection against environmental disasters.
Among those speaking at the Kisiskatchewan Water Alliance Network (KWAN) Rally at Friendship Park in Saskatoon was Ricardo Segovia. He is the specialist hired by KWAN, which is supported by Idle No More and other groups, to do an independent assessment of the environmental impacts of the spill.
Segovia said it’s important not to think the oil is gone just because cities are now drawing from the river where hundreds of thousands of Husky Energy oil spilt. He has taken samples along the river in the past month or so that contained “some very nasty chemicals.
“This spill is not over. There is a lot of oil submerged under the surface and there’s a lot of oil going to be in the sediments for years to come,” he said, adding that there were 14 and a half hours between the pipeline burst and any action from Husky Energy to stem the flow of water down the river.
“That was a huge failure on the part of Husky. The reaction was completely inadequate.”
David Suzuki was a big name at the rally. He said we need to listen to Indigenous people, who feel a deep connection to the earth and the land.
He said even those who live sustainably are unable to escape the toxic pollutants that have spread throughout the planet.
“We’re using Mother Earth – air water and soil – to dump our toxic chemicals and if we’re doing it to the earth, what do you think is going to happen to us?” he asked.
“The Husky spill is just one of the latest opportunities we have to say ‘this is crazy.’ We are undermining the very things that keep us alive and healthy. This Husky spill should be the moment that we say ‘we can’t go on this way,’ that we have to change the way that we are living.”
That’s not the only call for action that came at the rally. Segovia said he noticed that he’s largely the only person coming from a technical or scientific background at events like this.
“Where are the scientists speaking out about these issues, about the Husky spill?” he asked. “In general, technical people, scientists are afraid to speak out when it comes to issues like this. Part of the reason we see this is because there’s so much industry money going into universities.”
Segovia also said steps taken by communities like James Smith Cree Nation to monitor the impact on their land, are very important.
Chief Wally Burns, as well as FSIN’s Kimberly Jonathan were among those slated to be at the rally.