Q&A: Canada's oil sands linked to health woes

Fort Chipewyan, Canada - Dr. John O'Connor is the first physician to speak out about a possible adverse link between the oil sands and human health. While working in Fort Chipewyan, he became increasingly concerned about the growing number of rare cancers he saw among his patients in Fort Chipewyan.

Fort Chip, as it is more commonly known, is the oldest settlement in Alberta province. Located on the north shore of Lake Athabasca, it's a community of fewer than 1,000 mostly First Nation and Metis people, also resides directly downstream from Fort McMurray's renowned oil sands.

When in early 2006, Dr. O'Connor suggested that cancer could be caused by the oil industry's polluted runoff from the oil sands, "all hell broke loose", as he put it.

He was accused of misconduct by Health Canada, and spent the following 2 years and eight months trying to clear his name and reputation. In the end, he was cleared of all charges. He has not changed his opinion and remains determined to find out what is making his patients sick.

This month, the Mikisew Cree First Nation and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in conjunction with the University of Manitoba, publicly released a report that shows an association between environmental contaminants from the oil sands and the declining health and well-being of people living in Fort Chip. Specifically, it shows the extent of heavy metals and other contaminants in country foods harvested by indigenous people in the region.