summary
- In early May, 49 birds were discovered in a tailings pond at Imperial Oil’s Carle oil sands mine. Later that month, 95 birds were found dead at the Suncor Fire Bag site.
- In 2025, the Alberta government’s Oil Sands Mine Water Steering Committee recommended accelerating the development of standards for the treatment and release of tailings produced as a byproduct of the oil extraction process.
- Processing and discharging tailings into the river has been criticized by downstream First Nations, including the Mixaw Cree First Nation.
At Jean L’Hommecourt’s cabin north of Fort McMurray, bird calls are frequently interrupted by the hollow sound of cannon, a stark reminder of the oil sands’ proximity to the quiet setting of Muskegogue and the boreal forest.
L’Homcourt was reminded again about her toxic neighbors last month. The announcement about the tailings oiled bird got Romcour, a Fort McKay First Nation native, and other community members thinking about the 1.4 billion cubic liter tailings pond upstream of northern Alberta’s water and food source.
The roar of the cannons coming from L’Homcourt’s hut is an attempt to scare away the birds that might perch on the tailwaters and die, but it doesn’t always work. Fort McKay First Nation notified members that 49 birds were found in a tailings pond at Imperial Oil’s Cair oil sands mine between May 1 and May 8. “Detection and deterrence systems, including the use of drones for hazing, remain in operation during this spring migration period,” the notice to members states. Narwhal contacted Imperial Oil to ask if the bird was found dead or if it had been recovered and rehabilitated, but the company did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Jean Lomcourt sits in a cabin on the outskirts of Fort McMurray and Fort McKay First Nation in northern Alberta. Photo: Daniel Paradis/Narwhal
“We’re killing waterfowl, which is our traditional food,” said Lomcourt, an advocate for clean drinking water.
Lomcourt’s cabin is 13 kilometers from the Karl mine site, and she no longer harvests plants or fruit from the area. Although she is concerned about the effects of air pollution, she and her husband plan to continue hunting elk because they eat as much traditional food as possible.
In May, 95 more birds were found dead at the Suncor ruins.
Living downstream from Tails Pond has long been a concern for residents of Fort McKay and its surrounding area, which is in the midst of much oil sands mining activity, and Fort Chipewyan, a remote fly-in community accessible only by air or winter road downstream of the oil sands. Fort Chipewyan is home to three indigenous groups: Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Fort Chipewyan Métis, and Mixo-Cree.
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On May 24, the Mixo Cree First Nation also notified members that a dead bird had been discovered at one of Suncor’s oil sands sites, known as the Suncor Firebag Site.
“After a thorough search of the area, a total of 95 birds were found dead in the northeast quadrant of the property, which is not near any water,” a Suncor spokesperson said in a statement.
The birds land at Tailwater Pond to rest during their migration. Light from work camps, changes in temperature, and even changes in headwinds can cause migratory birds to make these pit stops.
Suncor Base Plant’s tailwater pond is located next to the Athabasca River. Birds stop at these ponds along their migration routes, exposing them to risks such as hypothermia. Photo: Kohaku bracken / narwhal
When a bird lands in a tailwater pond, it becomes coated with oil, reducing the waterproofness of its feathers and potentially causing the bird to sink. A federal report on annual bird mortality in the oil sands says birds removed from tailing ponds experience reduced insulation and other negative effects, and even small amounts of oil can cause hypothermia.
The Alberta Energy Regulator said it is conducting an inspection of the firebag site to obtain more information about the dead bird.
A spokesperson for the regulator said in an email that oil sands operators typically use a number of deterrents to prevent birds and other wildlife from ending up in tailwater ponds, including propane-fired cannons, bullhorns, scarecrows, human puppets and hawk-shaped kites.
Narwhal previously reported on a previously unpublished internal document issued by the Alberta Energy Regulator in 2021 that showed it was “more concerned with appearance than with data demonstrating high levels of bird protection.”
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Ms Lomcourt said she was angry that notices of oiled birds and bird deaths were still arriving in the area, even though there was plenty of time to plan new deterrent measures.
Suncor added in a statement that it has monitoring and mitigation programs in place to prevent its sites from harming wildlife. The cause of the bird’s death is currently unknown.
Bird deaths continue as Alberta plans new treatment and discharge approaches to tailings
The announcement further heightened concerns about downstream oil sands pollution problems. Billy Joe Tuccaro, chief of the Mixo-Cree First Nation, visited Ottawa in November to urge the federal government to manage tailing ponds and other industrial waste in a way that protects nearby communities like Fort Chipewyan, but said he felt the community’s concerns about Indigenous sovereignty and water were not taken seriously.
“So what they’re saying is it’s safe. Well, if it’s that safe, build a pipeline and put it right near Edmonton (Parliament). The prime minister will drink it first, then we’ll send another pipeline to Calgary, then we’ll send it to Bow. They can drink it too, those corporate people, and if they build it and go east, Carney can drink it too,” he told the Narwhal.
“And that could be a scientific experiment or a test subject, because we’re tired of that.”
Chief Billie-Joe Tuccaro has expressed concern about the high incidence of cancer in the Mikisaw Cree First Nation community of Fort Chipewyan, Alta. He believes the cumulative effects of oil sands mining have not been studied enough. Photo: Daniel Paradis/Narwhal
In 2025, the Alberta government’s Oil Sands Mine Water Steering Committee recommended accelerating the development of standards for treating and releasing water produced as a byproduct of oil extraction processes.
The liquid is a mixture of residual asphalt, heavy metals, clay, and sand. Research has shown that this water, known in the industry as “oil sands process-affected water,” also contains a toxic slurry of naphthenic acids, volatile organic compounds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These can cause health effects such as narcosis (cell poisoning), disrupt the endocrine system, and cause problems such as diabetes, fertility, thyroid dysfunction, and increased cancer risk.
Tuccaro said not enough research has been done on the cumulative effects of oil sands mining. He added that while water safety tends to focus on the drinking water that comes from the tap, it also has an impact on the consumption of traditional foods such as local berries and fish.
Three First Nations communities in the Fort Chipewyan region, the Mixo Cree, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, and Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation, have all expressed concerns about the Alberta government’s plan to treat and release water from tailwater ponds.
The area’s MLA, Tahnee Yao, did not respond to media inquiries about Fort Chipewyan residents’ concerns about the birds at Tailwater Pond or the plan to eventually treat and release the water from Tailwater Pond.
Updated June 17, 2026, 6:43 a.m. (Montana): Due to an editing error, a previous version of the summary at the beginning of this article stated that all 49 birds found in a tailings pond at Imperial Oil’s Carl Oil Sands mine were dead. In fact, as stated in the article, the company did not respond to questions about whether the bird was confirmed dead. The summary also states that birds were found dead in the tailings pond, even though the company claimed that no birds were found in the water at Suncor’s site, as the article states.
