Suncor admits it wrongly evicted canoeists

Followup Article in Slade River Journal - Many thanks to SRJ for their kind permission to reproduce.

By GABRIEL ZARATE, SRJ Reporter 09.JUL.08

Two Australian campers evicted by a Suncor employee from an island in the middle of the Athabasca River should never have been bothered.

A spokesman for Suncor said the company “regrets the inconvenience” to the two Australian canoeists who were evicted from an island at 10:00 p.m. as they were about to go to sleep on an island just offshore of Suncor’s industrial operations.

“I think this is a case of good intentions misapplied,” said Brad Bellows of Suncor.

On June 20, Tony Chounding and Terry Bolland (featured last week in the SRJ as “Visitors of the Week”) were canoeing down the Athabasca, on a journey from Jasper National Park to Tuktoyaktuk. After a long day on the river they set up camp on a small island just upstream from the bridge linking Suncor facilities on both sides of the river. The two made supper and were about to go to sleep when a security guard using a blowhorn ordered them off the island. They protested, saying it was night and they did not know the river. But the Suncor employee would not listen.

Oilsands leases end at the banks of the river. Suncor had no legal right to evict the campers.
Asked why the action took place, Bellows explained the island was in the middle of an industrial site. “The foremost concern of our security people is the safety of our employees and the public,” he said.

Bellows indicated Suncor would review its security procedures to ensure recreational users of the river were not interfered with.