Water Stewardship in the Lower Athabasca River: Is the Alberta Government Paying Attention to Aboriginal Rights to Water?

Abstract

This paper examines the status of aboriginal rights to water in the Lower Athabasca River Basin. It starts from the premise that Aboriginal peoples living in the Athabasca oil sands region have constitutionally protected water rights, and inquires whether or not these rights are acknowledged and protected by the Alberta government.