In the far north of Denendeh, Land of the Dene, stands the village of Radįlį Kóe, or Fort Good Hope. I was recently reminded by the late elder and former chief Frank T’seleie, in one of our last conversations together, that this town is older than the state of Canada.
The Dene Nation and Treaty 8 Chiefs stand in solidarity for the protection of their sacred waters. The integrity of their major waterways is directly threatened by Alberta’s Water Amendment Act, Bill 7.
Jesse Cardinal, Executive Director of Keepers of the Water, explained why. “The recent amendments to Bill 7 introduced the potential for interbasin water transfers, allowing water to be moved from one watershed to another. This raises concerns about reduced river flows, cumulative impacts, and downstream effects on communities and ecosystems that they rely on…. So, while these changes may increase access to water in some regions, they do not increase the overall supply.” Since watersheds are finite systems, moving water from one area to another puts more pressure on already stressed water systems, Cardinal said.
Dene leaders from all five regions of what is called the Northwest Territories gathered for the 55th Dene National Assembly in January 2026 to discuss major projects in Dene territory as well as the law and other community governance topics.
As long as the rivers flow
“‘As long as the grass grows and the rivers flow’ are words taken directly from Treaties 8 and 11,” elder and former chief Gerry Cheezie told the National Assembly. “These words are not symbolic. They are promises. They are law.”
“There is a crisis in our waters,” Cheezie said. “The waters of Denendeh are at their lowest levels in more than 70 years. The Slave River, the Great Slave Lake, the Liard River, the MacKenzie River, the Great Bear River, Great Bear Lake and the Peel River are all in distress.”
In December 2025, Treaty 8 Chiefs in Alberta took joint action on Bill 7. Led by Chief Rupert Minnie of the Tall Cree tribal government, Chief Wilbur Hook, and Chief Sheldon Sunshine of the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, they announced their intention to litigate to stop the implementation of Bill 7.
“This legal action affirms what science already tells us,” Cheezie said. “Merging river basins is ecologically reckless, scientifically unproven, and a direct violation of treaty rights and safe and reliable water.”
The chiefs’ resolutions
Four resolutions were tabled during the National Assembly.
First, the chiefs adopted a framework for legal action on the failure of the GNWT Transboundary Water Regime. The 2015 agreement and related intergovernmental water governance frameworks were intended to protect downstream waters, but have failed to prevent cumulative impacts, degradation, and risks to water quality and quantity. The Mackenzie River Basin Transboundary Waters Master Agreement establishes cooperative principles and explicitly states that nothing within it shall derogate from Aboriginal and Treaty rights, yet provides no enforceable mechanisms to uphold or remedy breaches of those rights. Dene governments and communities continue to experience impacts to water, fish, and lands without effective decision-making, enforcement, or legal remedies under the existing transboundary water regime.
The second resolution upholds Dene law and opposes harm to Athabasca and Peace River waters. It notes that proposed plans to release treated oil sands mine water into the Athabasca River violate Dene law and risk long-term, irreversible harm.
Photo by Cassandra Blondin Burt
The Treaty 8 Chiefs passed a third resolution affirming Dene legal orders and authorizing the Dene Nation to enter in a Memorandum of Understanding with Treaty 8 Nations of Alberta. The lands and waters of Denendeh are interconnected with the territories of Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta. The proposed MOU creates a framework for cooperation, solidarity, and collective protection of shared waters, lands, and rights. Dene elders consistently instruct that decisions affecting the land and water must be made collectively, with respect, and in accordance with the laws passed down through generations.
Dene law teaches that water is alive, sacred, and must be protected, as it carries the spirit of the land and sustains present and future generations.
Finally, the chiefs’ conference authorized the creation of a Dene Nation Water Office as increasing industrial development, climate change, and regulatorypressures pose growing risks to the quality, quantity, and governance of water in Denendeh. There is a need for coordinated Dene-led leadership, expertise, and advocacy on water protection, policy, and governance across all Dene regions.
A nuclear reactor proposed for the Peace River conflicts with Dene teachings that warn against creating dangers that will burden future generations with risks they did not consent to. Similarly, the proposed Mihta Askiy Data Centre on the Peace River would compound industrial pressure on the watershed and increase cumulative impacts with no respect for Dene Law and downstream peoples.
These projects are moving forward without the free, prior, and informed consent of Dene governments and communities.
Cumulative impacts
A joint Chiefs Statement released by Keepers of the Water states, “Research and monitoring show the cumulative impacts of tar sands on our lakes, rivers, and streams, including toxic tailings, air emissions, and the devastation of the landscape. The massive tailings sites contain 1.4 trillion litres of corrosive fluid that is seeping into the environment over land, underground, and through off-gassing.”
“Communities downstream continue to raise serious concerns about declining ecosystem health and elevated cancer rates,” it continues. “Yet no comprehensive, basin-wide risk assessment has ever been completed to fully understand the contamination pathways and risks to human and environmental health.”
As Fort Smith Elder and former Chief Francois Paulene reminds us, “We must stand together, and remember that Water is Boss, and there is no Plan B for water.”
Cassandra Blondin Burt is a two-spirit Dene journalist, artist, and plant medicine maker living in Chief Drygeese Territory, Akaitcho Region, Denendeh.
