After pressing pause on water monitoring operations at four sites in the Mackenzie River Basin, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is resuming normal monitoring operations. 

In March, the federal department temporarily suspended routine long-term water quality monitoring, along with other SA国际影视传媒渘on-critical services,SA国际影视传媒� in response to the pandemic, ECCC spokesperson Chelsea Steacy said.

She said that the suspension of monitoring activities SA国际影视传媒渇or a period of timeSA国际影视传媒� does not prevent ECCC from fulfilling its objective of "indicating water quality status over time." 

Of the four sites in question, two are located in the NWT by Hay River and on the Slave River. Two are in Alberta at Fitzgerald point on the Slave River, and Peace Point on the Peace River. All are downstream of the Fort McMurray oil sands. 

While the federal government suspended monitoring activities, the GNWT took over collecting samples at the water sites in August SA国际影视传媒渢o help reduce the gap,SA国际影视传媒� said Darren Campbell, spokesperson with the GNWTSA国际影视传媒檚 Environment and Natural Resources (ENR). This is in addition to the routine water quality monitoring program the GNWT employs independent from federal activities. 

SA国际影视传媒淕iven that water is critical to the way of life for the people of the Northwest Territories, and the importance of the water quality data for understanding and management purposes, the resumption of monitoring at ECCCSA国际影视传媒檚 long-term monitoring sites is important to detect change and trends over time,SA国际影视传媒� Campbell said. 

Dene National Chief Norman Yakeleya said that the issue of water safety, especially flowing from the oil sands, has been a concern for as long as he has been Chief. 

In a tele-press conference Yakeleya told media that he is SA国际影视传媒渂efuddled as to why an essential service, such as monitoring the quality of the water coming from the oil sands production fields, was suspended.SA国际影视传媒�

He said that water is essential for drinking, for fish, for the animals, and SA国际影视传媒渇or the sake of all people in the Northwest Territories.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e happy again to be a part of the advocacy and we want to ensure that this doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 happen again,SA国际影视传媒� he said. 

The resumed water monitoring comes as water levels in Great Slave Lake and across the Mackenzie River Basin have been among the highest on record. 

Steacy said the unusually wet spring and summer have caused a large amount of natural runoff in the Slave and Hay rivers, SA国际影视传媒渨hich in turn have brought record amount of suspended sediments from natural erosion into Great Slave Lake.SA国际影视传媒�

Still, she says scientists with ECCC, the GNWT, and the government of AB agree SA国际影视传媒渨ater quality conditions are not outside the expected patterns for extreme high-water events in this region.SA国际影视传媒�

In a press release issued earlier this week, the GNWT said that water levels are thought mostly to be a result of higher than normal precipitation and snow-melt though ENR that they are working to SA国际影视传媒渂etter understand the contributions of upstream watershed,SA国际影视传媒� following prolonged water spills from the W.A.C Bennett and Peace Canyon dams into the Peace River.  

Yakeleya said that they were not given any notice of the suspension of the water monitoring activities when they first occurred. 

SA国际影视传媒淲e had to find out, we had to do our research to see if there were water monitoring stations,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淭he engagement of First Nations in the Northwest Territories is the missing link.SA国际影视传媒�

When the GNWT took over monitoring the federal water sites in early August, the GNWT and Dene Nation asked for a seat on the Oil Sands Monitoring ProgramSA国际影视传媒檚 oversight committee. 

Campbell said that the GNWT SA国际影视传媒渃ontinues to engage,SA国际影视传媒� the Government of Canada and of Alberta on its interest in being granted a seat.

SA国际影视传媒淎 seat on this committee will ensure NWT interests are considered when decisions are made about the Oil Sands Monitoring Program,SA国际影视传媒� he said. 

Yakeleya said heSA国际影视传媒檚 pushing for SA国际影视传媒渁n NWT council of leadersSA国际影视传媒� to bring together Northern decision makers in order to SA国际影视传媒渟peak with one voice,SA国际影视传媒� to represent NorthernersSA国际影视传媒� needs.

He said the GNWT is in the preliminary stages of seeking input from Indigenous leaders and beginning the SA国际影视传媒渄ifficult processSA国际影视传媒� of making that happen. 

He said there needs to be more communication between leaders, both of the North and around the country, SA国际影视传媒渙therwise, we will again sit by in the bleachers and watch things go.SA国际影视传媒�