By Alessia Passafiume Some First Nations chiefs are demanding answers from Ottawa after the federal government signed a pipeline agreement with Alberta that failed to make any mention of fresh water. The memorandum of understanding — which opens a door to building a pipeline to transport bitumen from Alberta to the B.C. coast — does not touch on the high level of water consumption required to pull bitumen out of the oilsands. It also doesn’t mention the threat to fresh water sources posed by the tailings ponds oilsands operations leave behind. In 2021, the federal government launched the Crown-Indigenous Working Group to develop options alongside affected First Nations and Métis communities to manage and remediate the heavily polluted tailings ponds. The Privy Council Office did not respond directly when asked…
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