Canada oil firm probed as hundreds of ducks die

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) – Hundreds of dead and dying ducks could cost Canada’s biggest oil sands producer C$1 million ($990,000) after the migrating waterfowl landed in a pond of oily, toxic sludge in northern Alberta.

Syncrude Canada’s operations were under investigation by environmental regulators on Wednesday after as many as 500 birds landed in the waste water, known as a tailings pond, at the Aurora North mine near Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Migrating waterfowl are supposed to be kept from the poisonous waters at the mine, where massive shovels pull tons of oil-laden sand from the ground, by sound-cannons that simulate gunfire. But a winter storm had delayed deployment of the system, a Syncrude spokesman said.

“We have a deterrent program in place that’s effective,” said Alain Moore. “We’ve had it in operation for 30 years and haven’t had something like this occur at our site. But we did have some unusual circumstances.”

Reuters