Latest news with #JayMacdonald
CBC
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
N.W.T. negotiating terms with Alta. to be better informed about its waterways for over a year
More than a year since the Northwest Territories asked Alberta to keep it better informed about spills that could impact its water, the province and territory still haven't agreed on what that will mean. In April 2024, the territory proposed updates to "notification protocols" in its shared transboundary water agreement — a commitment to manage water sustainably and communicate changes that increase the risk of harm to water flowing north across the border. Fifteen months later, N.W.T. Environment Minister Jay Macdonald said they're still working on it but that the territory's relationship with Alberta is strong. "It's been certainly very positive and productive within the last year," he said. The proposed changes suggest trigger points that would require Alberta to alert the N.W.T. based on clear metrics. That's a change from the current agreement, where Alberta is required to notify the N.W.T. of developments "that might affect the ecological integrity of the aquatic system," language that some experts have said leaves it to Alberta to decide what incidents might impact the N.W.T. One N.W.T. resident says he's not surprised by the delay. Jack VanCamp lives in Fort Smith where drinking water comes from the Slave River that flows from northern Alberta. Testing continues to show that the water is safe to drink, but VanCamp, also a former executive director of the Mackenzie River Basin Board, said he wonders how much of that is good management and how much is luck. "We don't have the ability to control what goes into our water upstream and we can't trust people who have that ability," he said. Until agreements like these have clear rules and consequences, VanCamp said he doesn't see that changing. "We're feeling pretty vulnerable," he said. If Alberta does agree to the territory's updates, it's unlikely to introduce consequences, though Macdonald declined to speak on specifics while negotiating. The proposed changes are in response to a tailings leak at Imperial Oil's Kearl facility, one of the largest oilsands spills in Alberta history. In 2023, the N.W.T's then-environment minister said he learned of the leak through the media. Local First Nations and the federal government were also not notified of the leak. At a news conference on July 4, Rebecca Schulz, Alberta's minister of environment and protected areas, said the province takes its relationship with the N.W.T. seriously and that communication after the Kearl incident was unacceptable. She said she committed to Macdonald that there would be an open line of communication about the facility moving forward. Macdonald said although there's no updates to the agreement, and no timeline on when those updates might come, communication between the province and territory has improved.
CBC
08-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Information sharing with Alberta has improved since Kearl tailings spills, says N.W.T. minister
The N.W.T.'s environment minister says communication with the Alberta government has improved since a pair of oil spills several years ago. "The information sharing from that point forward has been really good," Minister Jay Macdonald told reporters Friday afternoon. The news conference at the Explorer Hotel had been organized at the end of an annual meeting of environment ministers from around the country – a group called the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment – that had, this year, been held in Yellowknife. Rebecca Shulz, Alberta's minister of environment and protected areas, was among those at the summit. "Our transboundary water agreements … are working quite well and allowing us to have that communication," said Macdonald. "We don't necessarily agree on all points but we're certainly having regular conversations and working together to finding solutions that work for all of us." Last year, the N.W.T. government had suggested changes to that bilateral water agreement so that the territory would be more aware of spills that could flow downstream into its waterways. But at the time, the territory was still waiting for a full response from Alberta. Macdonald did not mention on Friday whether those changes had been made. Communication was a sticking point between the N.W.T. and Alberta, particularly after two releases of toxic oilsands tailings water from the Kearl mine in northern Alberta in 2022. It took nine months for Imperial Oil and the Alberta Energy Regulator to tell First Nations and other governments about it. Shane Thompson, the N.W.T.'s environment minister at the time, had been shocked to learn about the spills from news reports and said it was unacceptable and a breach of the territory's water management agreement with the Alberta government. Schulz on Friday agreed that communication after those spills was unacceptable and said that Alberta's relationship with the N.W.T. is one the province takes seriously. "We know that there [are] a lot of eyes and a lot of focus on oilsands mine water specifically, it's something our government has made a priority, and I have committed to Minister Macdonald that we would have an open line of communication about what we're doing there," Schulz said.
Global News
05-07-2025
- Health
- Global News
Canada's environment ministers endorse updated air quality standards
Canada's environment ministers have endorsed stronger air quality standards for fine particulate matter, while acknowledging the struggles caused by wildfires that can blanket the country in smoke advisories. Provincial, territorial and federal environment ministers met in Yellowknife for the annual meeting of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. In a joint communique released Friday, they say wildfires are one of the major contributors to air pollution, which can adversely affect the health of Canadians. They say by approving updated Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards for fine particulate matter, they are 'supporting actions that will continue to improve air quality in Canada.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The standards measure the amount of a given pollutant in outdoor air, and while they are not legally binding, the ministers call them a key element of managing air quality. Story continues below advertisement The council's website lists the updated standards for fine particulate at 23 micrograms per cubic metre in 24 hours by 2030, a decrease from the 2020 standards of 27 micrograms per cubic metre. The statement says the standards were developed by federal, provincial and territorial governments collaboratively with representatives from industry, environmental, Indigenous groups and health non-governmental organizations. Northwest Territories Environment Minister Jay Macdonald, who hosted the meeting, told a news conference that the new standards will help all jurisdictions better protect communities from the growing health impacts of poor air quality. He said climate change is increasing wildfire risk. 'Strong, science-based, national standards help ensure we're prepared for these challenges and support long-term health and resilience,' he said. Next year's council meeting is scheduled to take place in Alberta.
CTV News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Canada's environment ministers endorse updated air quality standards
Jay Macdonald, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change for the Northwest Territories at the press conference by the Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment following their meeting in St. John's on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly YELLOWKNIFE — Canada's environment ministers have endorsed stronger air quality standards for fine particulate matter, while acknowledging the struggles caused by wildfires that can blanket the country in smoke advisories. Provincial, territorial and federal environment ministers met in Yellowknife for the annual meeting of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. In a joint communique released Friday, they say wildfires are one of the major contributors to air pollution, which can adversely affect the health of Canadians. They say by approving updated Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards for fine particulate matter, they are 'supporting actions that will continue to improve air quality in Canada.' The standards measure the amount of a given pollutant in outdoor air, and while they are not legally binding, the ministers call them a key element of managing air quality. The council's website lists the updated standards for fine particulate at 23 micrograms per cubic metre in 24 hours by 2030, a decrease from the 2020 standards of 27 micrograms per cubic metre. The statement says the standards were developed by federal, provincial and territorial governments collaboratively with representatives from industry, environmental, Indigenous groups and health non-governmental organizations. Northwest Territories Environment Minister Jay Macdonald, who hosted the meeting, told a news conference that the new standards will help all jurisdictions better protect communities from the growing health impacts of poor air quality. He said climate change is increasing wildfire risk. 'Strong, science-based, national standards help ensure we're prepared for these challenges and support long-term health and resilience,' he said. Next year's council meeting is scheduled to take place in Alberta. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025. Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Information sharing with Alberta has improved since Kearl tailings spills, says N.W.T. minister
The N.W.T.'s environment minister says communication with the Alberta government has improved since a pair of oil spills several years ago. "The information sharing from that point forward has been really good," Minister Jay Macdonald told reporters Friday afternoon. The news conference at the Explorer Hotel had been organized at the end of an annual meeting of environment ministers from around the country – a group called the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment – that had, this year, been held in Yellowknife. Rebecca Shulz, Alberta's minister of environment and protected areas, was among those at the summit. "Our transboundary water agreements … are working quite well and allowing us to have that communication," said Macdonald. "We don't necessarily agree on all points but we're certainly having regular conversations and working together to finding solutions that work for all of us." Last year, the N.W.T. government had suggested changes to that bilateral water agreement so that the territory would be more aware of spills that could flow downstream into its waterways. But at the time, the territory was still waiting for a full response from Alberta. Macdonald did not mention on Friday whether those changes had been made. Communication was a sticking point between the N.W.T. and Alberta, particularly after two releases of toxic oilsands tailings water from the Kearl mine in northern Alberta in 2022. It took nine months for Imperial Oil and the Alberta Energy Regulator to tell First Nations and other governments about it. Shane Thompson, the N.W.T.'s environment minister at the time, had been shocked to learn about the spills from news reports and said it was unacceptable and a breach of the territory's water management agreement with the Alberta government. Schulz on Friday agreed that communication after those spills was unacceptable and said that Alberta's relationship with the N.W.T. is one the province takes seriously. "We know that there [are] a lot of eyes and a lot of focus on oilsands mine water specifically, it's something our government has made a priority, and I have committed to Minister Macdonald that we would have an open line of communication about what we're doing there," Schulz said. Macdonald said the ministers also talked about climate change and reconciliation and had endorsed stronger air quality standards for fine particulate matter. According to a news release, the ministers also spent time meeting with Indigenous leaders to to talk about remediation and the management of contaminated sites.
