Heartland Reality Tour 2010

May 29, 2010 - 4:00pm

Exposing the social, health and environmental costs of industrial development in Edmonton's back yard.

On behalf of Citizens for Responsible Development - a group of concerned farmers and residents in the Fort Saskatchewan area - we would like to invite you, or a representative from your group, to accompany other Edmonton area community leaders on a special 1 day tour of the Industrial Heartland on Saturday, May 29th.

Please RSVP today by sending an email to [email protected].

Background

Most Albertans associate tar sands impacts, such as land destruction, contaminated rivers and rising cancer and respiratory disease rates, with Fort McMurray and Fort Chipewyan. The chain of destruction, however, extends right into Edmonton's backyard. The Heartland, just north east of Edmonton, is over 300 square kilometers in size and includes five regions: Strathcona County, Sturgeon County, Lamont County, the City of Fort Saskatchewan, and the City of Edmonton. To many of its residents, the region is quickly becoming known as Cancer Alley, and many fear the situation will only worsen with 9 new tar sands upgrader projects and 3 expansions proposed or approved for this region.

Come on the Heartland Reality Tour

Join residents from the Alberta Heartland on a tour of their communities and learn about the looming and current impacts facing the area.

You will hear first hand just how the provincial government's "development at all cost" attitude has forced many community members to leave, while others continue to fight an ever-growing battle to protect their farms and the health of their families.

This tour has a limited number of spots available, so please respond immediately as it will be first-come, first-served. The tour begins at the Sierra Club (10008 82nd Avenue) office at 10am on Saturday, May 29th, with an introduction to environmental justice and some of the issues facing the area. We will then board a bus with local Heartland residents and scientific experts and depart to various points in the Heartland. The tour will also stop for tea and conversation at local residents' homes before going back to the Sierra Club (10008 82 Avenue) office.

The Heartland is one of the most polluted areas of the province - air quality ratings are worse than those of Mexico City on some days, due to the high concentration of industry in the area. It is also home to many families and contains some of the most fertile farm land in the entire country.

We are inviting you on this tour because we believe that your organization, club, or constituency may have an interest in this issue, whether it is your love of the North Saskatchewan river, your concern for local air quality, your passion for local food and food security, the faith that you hold, your organization's ethic of service, human rights, environmental stewardship, jobs, health issues, and so much more.

There is no cost for the tour, but as a nonprofit organization we will gladly accept any donations. If you or another representative from your organization are interested in attending, or if you'd like more information, please RSVP by Monday, May 17th to Logan or Asia at [email protected].

We sincerely hope that you can join us for this special tour of the Heartland, and are looking forward to hearing from you!