A small crowd gathered on the steps of the Alberta legislature yesterday morning to speak out against Total’s proposed new mine site.
Barrels representing barrels of toxic sludge outnumbered the protesters but their message was still loud and clear.
“Today we have 60 200-litre rain barrels that represent how much Total will be producing in tailings every 30 seconds,” said Greenpeace campaigner Mike Hudema. “The provincial government themselves have said that they want to eliminate tailings ponds, yet they’re on the cusp of approving another one.”
If approved, Hudema said Total’s Joslyn Mine would put out 1.5-million tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, release 12.5-billion litres of toxic tailings waste, and remove and pollute up to 22-billion litres of fresh water from the Athabasca River each year.
