By paNOW Staff

State of Emergency declared in P.A.

Jul 25, 2016 | 1:59 PM

Prince Albert city council has declared a state of emergency after an oil spill on the North Saskatchewan River contaminated the city’s water source.

The announcement came during a special city council meeting today, July 25.

P.A. mayor Greg Dionne said the state of emergency will give the city more power to enforce new regulations, such as a bylaw restricting water to residents and businesses.

He said he didn’t expect enforcement of the bylaw to be an issue.

Discussions are ongoing with Husky Energy, according to Dionne, but the company will compensate local businesses.

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“They’ve already sent me documents that I can start accessing their cash if I need it. That just shows you how quick Husky is prepared to help us. And once we get the water we’ll talk about the cleanup,” he said. 

The state of emergency will be in effect from July 26 to Aug. 1. 

paNOW will have more information as it becomes available.

On July 21, roughly 200,000 to 250,000 litres of heavy oil mixed with diluent escaped from a Husky Energy pipeline east of Lloydminster near the Highway 21 bridge.

EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was corrected at 3:02 p.m. July 25, 2016. The city’s water source is contaminated. Not the city’s potable water. 

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