Tar Sands

The Tar Sands (the oil lobby prefers to call them "Oil Sands" as the original word is biased by the criticism of the Anti-Tar Sands movement) represent the maybe dirtiest way to produce oil. In Northern Alberta (Canada) very rich deposits of soil containing oil can be found. The oil industry is currently exploiting these resources inconsiderately with the support and by invitation of the Albertan government.

As the Tar Sands industry is very energy hungry there are plans existing to build up the first nuclear power stations in Alberta to make the expansion of this industry possible.

• Sample gallery
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  A view to the original countryside from the air: borreal forests and wetlands

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  Many rivers are covering the area which is hardly to be reachable without boat or plane

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  It is a pristine countryside, hardly touched by civilzation

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  Large areas of this countryside is covered by rich Tar Sand deposits

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  These are Tailing Ponds, containing toxic waste waters from the Tar Sands industry

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  The toxic materials will be released of the Tailing Ponds seeping through the ground to the nearby river systems without needing accidents

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  In 2008 "500" ducks died after landing on one of Syncrude's tailings ponds (another huge oil company). 2009, Syncrude said that the REAL number of ducks that dies is 1600

Impacts of the Tar Sands Industry - Quotations

Brian MacDonald:

"The fish stocks are gone and there are probably a number of different reasons for that. Part of it is the management system set up by the government and part of it is the predator system by which commercial fishermen are under it and part of it is pollution. The pollution is being dumped on us through the Fort McMurray area. A new pulp mill is being set up and whether it is Prince Albert or Meadow Lake, there are five pulp mills right around McMurray and the tar sands put out a lot of pollution and so that is a major factor on it."

• source: http://scaa.sk.ca/ourlegacy/solr?query=DocumentType%3A%22Published%22%7CPlace%3A%22Canada!!Saskatchewan!!Buffalo%20Narrows%22&start=0&rows=10&mode=view&pos=7&page=12
  page 43 of the original document, lines 9-20; visited on June 13th, 2009
• Brian MacDonald is Owner/Operator of Athabasca Lone Wolf Camps" located in Buffalo Narrows, Saskatchewan
  (source: http://career.kcdc.ca/bus/reports/directory.pdf; visited on June 13th, 2009)
• This quotation is part of a presentation of him. When he gave this presentation on December 9, 1992, to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, Brian MacDonald was the President of the commercial fishermen of Buffalo Narrows.
  source: http://scaa.sk.ca/ourlegacy/solr?query=DocumentType%3A%22Published%22%7CPlace%3A%22Canada!!Saskatchewan!!Buffalo%20Narrows%22&start=0&rows=10&mode=view&pos=7&page=12
  visited on June 13th, 2009