Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) is suing the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER).

During a town hall meeting in Fort Chipewyan on Tuesday, Chief Allan Adam handed a notice of lawsuit to the CEO of AER, Laurie Pushor.

The First Nation alleges the Energy Regulator engaged in “negligence, nuisance, breach of the duty to consult, breach of the Honour of the Crown, breach of fiduciary duty, and unjustified Treaty infringement.”

The allegations stem from two tailings pond leaks at Imperial Oil’s Kearl Lake facility occurring between May 2022 and February 2023.

ACFN says that the tailings leaks may have affected resources such as groundwater, causing concerns among members of the First Nation about potential contamination.