Cancer information released to public, not Fort Chipewyan First Nations

The release of a report about the state of cancer in the Fort Chipewyan area has First Nations leaders incensed despite Alberta Chief Medical Offer Dr. James Talbot’s claim that the government’s hand was forced through a request for information put in by a third party. “This is gross negligence. The leaders of Fort Chipewyan have been requesting a thorough analysis on incidences of cancer in our community for years. Not only was this research and study done without our direct participation we were left in the dark about key findings and the announcement of the release to the public,” said Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam in a news release. “This behaviour is once again reminiscent of the way the government of Alberta has treated our community in relation to the public release of cancer statistics related to our community,” said Mikisew First Nation Chief Steve Courtoreille, in a news release. The findings from the report, which covers 1992-2011, indicate that cancer rates in the area are on par with the rest of Alberta, although there are reasons to be concerned about cervical, biliary tract and lung cancers. However, none of these are environment-related. Talbot said children under 15 who had cancer were more likely to be impacted by environmental causes, but there are no such reported cases of cancer in the region for that demographic, which Talbot said is “reassuring.” Talbot was clear that the information he related was not from a study, but from ongoing work undertaken by Cancer Control Alberta.