An Alberta expert in water ecology, is choosing sides in the battle between BC's Premier John Horgan and Alberta's Premier Rachel Notley. And the side he's on may surprise you:
"The one who is in the right this time is John Horgan."
Dr. David Schindler is a professor emeritus at the University of Alberta, and is notable for his work leading to the banning of phosphates in detergents, as well as his research on acid rain. He says a report by experts says bitumen cannot be adequately cleaned up:
"There was a report that was commissioned by experts in the Royal Society including industry experts, and chemists and people who dealt with bitumen, asking explicitly that question. Do we know enough to clean it up? And the consensus was an overwhelming NO."
And Schindler says he agrees with them based on his own experience. He was one of the experts hired by the Alberta Government after a derailment saw hundreds of thousands of litres of heavy bunker oil dumped into a lake.
Schindler says BC has the one of the few remaining healthy fisheries on the West Coast of North America, adding the majority of British Columbians would likely want to keep it that way.
Schindler says an Opinion Editorial piece he wrote for the Edmonton Journal is attracting hate mail, as well as support .