Government officials playing hide-and-seek with Oldman Dam environmental review?

Page 4

Button, button. Who's got the button?

New Democrat John McInnis came out this week with details of a long-awaited federal environmental review of the Oldman River dam project. And McInnis says he thinks the province has a copy of the report but is holding back on releasing details until

it can write a response.

Over at Alberta Environment, the minister's office is saying they haven't seen

the review and don't know what's in it. Jim Dau, Environment Minister Ralph Klein's executive assistant, says they are waiting for the document's public release just like everyone else.

Who do you believe?

If McInnis is right and the province is withholding details, then there is a problem with the environmental review process. These reviews are meant to be a matter of public record.

The $350-million project has raised a great deal of public concern and promoted numerous lawsuits. To withhold details of a public-funded study at this time until a response can be drafted is simply opportunistic.

Environmental reviews belong to the public, not the government. Alberta's response to the review should also be a visible process that gives people concerned

about the dam a chance to digest the contents of the review. To keep details secret while the government formulates an action to deal with criticisms is to deny public input into the process.

Let's face it. The province has not handled the Oldman River dam controversy with a view to dealing openly with public concerns. It has consistently resisted attempts to open the project to public input, leading to numerous court cases.

If Ralph Klein has a copy of the review, he should release it now. To wait until

his government has formulated a full response is simply another denial of the public's participation in the process.

On the other hand, John McInnis might be wrong. Maybe his secret sources don't have the full picture.

And it is possible that the provincial government doesn't have a copy of the final review.

But that doesn't mean they don't have any responsibilities when faced with leaked information. If an opposition MLA can get details, it is highly likely that members of the government can do the same thing.

It is now up to Klein to at least seek confirmations or denials of the reports. He should be expected to release what information he has available to him, even if that skews the basic plan.

The process is, after all, meant to keep the public informed. It should not be manipulated to ease government planning.