SASKATOON -- Kawacatoose First Nation's chief is speaking out over concerns about potential environmental damage resulting from last week's fiery Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) train derailment near Lanigan.
A CP train derailed and caught fire Dec. 9, releasing 1.5 million litres of crude oil either the ground or into the air according to the Transporation Safety Board of Canada's initial estimates.
Kawacatoose First Nation's Chief Tom Dustyhorn says his community is still waiting to hear from the federal government and CP following the oil spill.
In a new release, Dustyhorn said he's not only concerned about the potential harm the spill could cause to wildlife and how that could impact his community, but also the underground water supply.
"It's been a week and neither the federal government nor CP Rail have reached out to Kawacatoose First Nation despite the fact that some of our treaty sustenance hunters have always hunted in this area," Dustyhorn said.
He also expressed concern that the First Nation has been "left out" of the process and wants information on how the spill will affect his member's rights.
"Our Leadership wants information on how this may impact our members’ rights. We need to ensure there is no contamination of the water, the soil, and the wildlife. While CP Rail says it has reached out to local communities, no one reached out to our community,” Dustyhorn said,
CTV News contacted CP in regards to Dustyhorn's concerns. A company representative said CP will be contacting the community.
