Oil sniffing dogs now at work on the James Smith Cree Nation
Husky Energy is today confirming that it has deployed oil sniffing dogs to the James Smith Cree Nation to see if contamination from a July spill has reached the community.
The James Smith Cree Nation is about 60 kilometres east of Prince Albert, downstream from where the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers meet.
CBC News visited the northern community last month.
"This river has taken a beating," said band councillor Alvin Moostoos. "We can't let oil spills interfere with what we have here. The river has brought life to the community. We fish out of it. Spend time with family. It's worth protecting."
Moostoos said many people on the First Nation feel like they've been a forgotten community throughout the clean-up.
Today, however, Husky Energy tells CBC News that two dogs are in the region. The dogs are trained to find oil and are capable of sniffing it out up to one metre below the surface.
A Husky spokesperson confirms by e-mail that the dogs are working both sides of the Saskatchewan River and that any oiled debris that's found will be cleaned up.
