Alberta Liberal leader says NDP may be planning makeover for oilsands watchdog

An Alberta organization tasked with monitoring, assessing and reporting on environmental issues, could be getting an overhaul, according to Liberal leader David Swann.

The Alberta Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Agency (AEMERA) was created by former premier Alison Redford’s government in 2014 after the Progressive Conservative government was criticized for its response to a series of high-profile leaks and spills related to the province’s oil and gas industry.

READ MORE: Pressure on Alberta for monitoring agency

Set up as an arms-length agency that receives funding from both the public and private sector, AEMERA is tasked with monitoring, assessing and reporting on the state of Alberta’s air, water, land and biodiversity.

But on Monday, Swann told Global News the oilsands watchdog could be undergoing some major changes soon.

“I’ve had some inside information that the Alberta environmental monitoring and evaluation system – the independent monitoring of the oilsands – is going to be folded back into the department of environment.”

Global News contacted the office of NDP Environment Minister Shannon Phillips, and while a spokesperson said Phillips would not comment on the story, the minister would have more to say at an announcement on Tuesday.

The NDP government is currently undertaking a review of the province’s boards, agencies and commissions.

A spokesperson for the environmental organization Greenpeace said he had supported AEMERA’s role as an independent monitor and was worried that if the Notley government does end up putting the organization under the umbrella of the environment ministry, it could open it up to political interference.

“Are they able to maintain that independence so they can gain public trust and public confidence?” asked Greenpeace’s Mike Hudema. “Because if they are not, they are going to go back into the same criticism that the previous government had where they had a completely inadequate system that no body trusted and we made a lot of bad decisions because of it.”

READ MORE: Alberta auditor finds oilsands monitoring lacking

In 2015, AEMERA was given a budget of $78 million: $50 million from the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and $28 million from the Alberta government.

With files from Gary Bobrovitz.