Investigation: Are the Alberta Oil Sands Killing First Nations? (Part 1)

By Jacob Cardinal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Alberta Native News “The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.” Gin Rummy. There will be blood Fort Chipewyan is a small community in Northern Alberta located on the southwest shore of Lake Athabasca. The town is only accessible by plane, boat or ice-road travel. A 2021 Canadian census recorded 847 permanent residents, though the population is estimated to be closer to 1,000. While Fort Chipewyan was established as a trading post in 1788, making it the oldest European settlement in Alberta, the majority of residents are Mikisew Cree, Athabasca-Chipewyan Cree and/or Metis. Approximately 250 kilometres North of Fort McMurray, the land is considered by many as the Chipewyan Cree’s traditional territory. The previously mentioned Athabascan-Chipewyan Cree (ACFN) has a designated…

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