The government is touting the Eastern Athabasca Regional Monitoring Program as an example of industry, community and government work together for public safety and the environment.

In a news release, George St. Pierre of Wollaston Lake who worked on the project said it’s important for him, and the community, because they want to make sure the food and water is safe.

Community members from the six sites determine the location of sampling sites and collecting and donating samples. Input from the communities and traditional ecological knowledge are built into the design of the annual field study. The monitoring program is intended to ensure water and traditional foods remain safe and healthy.

The partnership between the government, Cameco, Orano, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission as well as the communities of Stony Rapids, Wollaston Lake, Camsell Portage and Uranium City and the Black Lake, Fond Due Lac and Hatchet Lake First Nations was established in 2011.