The energy transition is already happening, and it’s being led by our Indigenous communities

My name is Melina Laboucan-Massimo. I am from the Lubicon Cree First Nation in Little Buffalo, Alberta.

In 2011, my community experienced what was the second-largest oil spill in the province’s history – 4.5 million litres of crude oil (28,000 barrels) contaminated hectares of an aquifer, beaver ponds, muskeg and dense forest. The pipeline owner – Plains Midstream Canada ULC – later faced three charges under provincial law.
The effects of the spill were disastrous. I remember family members struggling to breathe – intense nausea and burning eyes. Our community closed schools and told kids to stay inside. It was terrifying.

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