Aamjiwnaang First Nation Band Council is appealing for answers after a recent spill to the St. Clair River.
On March 11, the Suncor said it identified a hydrocarbon sheen on the river near the Sarnia refinery, and deployed response equipment including booms to contain and clean the spill.
In a letter posted to its Facebook page, Aamjiwnaang First Nation Administration and Council said no cause of the leak had been reported to Aamjiwnaang, and it is still not known how large of a spill occurred.
"Aamjiwnaang demands answers," read the letter. "Aamjiwnaang has instructed Vertex Resource Group to actively monitor the situation and report back to administration and leadership."
The letter states members of the First Nation met with industry officials on Tuesday, March 17 and will provide an update to the community during a meeting Wednesday evening.
"Many questions remain," said the letter. "For example, we do not know the cause of the spill or the total volume of fuel product that spilled from the pipeline and contaminated the land and water. We also do not know the remediation plan."
At the time of the spill, Suncor said all appropriate regulatory agencies and local community organizations were notified, and St. Clair Township said the municipal water system was not affected by the spill.
In an alert from the Aamjiwnaang Notification System on Saturday, March 14, Suncor said the leak to the St. Clair River came from a leaking distribution pipeline owned by Sun-Canadian Pipeline.
The notice said repair and cleanup was underway and would continue for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, the Sarnia Police Service has been asked by Aamjiwnaang First Nation to help with traffic patrols due to increased traffic along River Road as a result of the cleanup efforts.
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The letter went on to say that Aamjiwnaang is calling on industry to divert its truck traffic away from River Road and around the reserve.
"The health and safety of our community and the wellbeing of the environment is paramount, said the letter. "Aamjiwnaang does not consent to pipelines in Aamjiwnaang's territory that do not comply with Aamjiwnaang's Permit Policy. Furthermore, Aamjiwnaang calls for robust regulatory oversight of all pipeline activities to protect the health and safety of our people and the environment."
