Treaty Chiefs to Halt Alberta's Bill 7 to Protect Sacred Waterways

TREATY 8 TERRITORY, AB, Dec. 22, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, Treaty 8 Chief Rupert Meneen (Tallcree Tribal Government), Chief Sheldon Sunshine (Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation) and Chief Wilfred Hooka Nooza (Dene Tha' First Nation) announced their intent to file litigation to halt the implementation of Bill 7, the Water Amendment Act. This legal action follows the Government of Alberta's decision to pass legislation without the free, prior, and informed consent of the First Nations whose territories and water rights are directly impacted.

"Water does not recognize political boundaries or industrial zones," said Chief Sheldon Sunshine, Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation. "By handing control to a single Minister, this government isn't just ignoring First Nations--they are stripping away the safety nets that protect every Albertan's kitchen tap. As Chiefs of Treaty 8 First Nations, we are standing up to protect our water, so it does not become an industrial commodity to be traded away."

Bill 7 is a fundamental violation of the Crown's Duty to Consult and an assault on Inherent and Treaty Rights. The bill will facilitate "lower-risk" inter-basin water transfers between major river basins and merge the Peace-Slave and Athabasca River basins, risking the permanent degradation of Alberta's watersheds to prioritize industry, yet again.

"We are forced into the courts because Premier Danielle Smith and her government refuse to listen," says Chief Rupert Meneen, Tallcree Tribal Government. "We will use every legal tool at our disposal to ensure our sacred waters are protected from this short-sighted and dangerous policy that will impact all Albertans."

The planned litigation will argue that Alberta is using the Water Amendment Act to avoid its obligation to respect our treaty entitlement to safe and reliable water. The legislation's failure to include robust scientific and Indigenous knowledge for water management poses irreparable harm to the biodiversity of multiple ecological zones.

"Water is the lifeblood of our people and our Treaties. It is not a commodity for the government to move on a whim," said Chief Wilfred Hooka Nooka, Dene Tha' Nation. "We already see our rivers running dry, with years of drought and wildfires across the territory. When will this government learn that you can't drink money?"

SOURCE Chiefs Steering Committee on Technical Services

Media Contact: Gillian Edwards, Chiefs Steering Committee, 587-216-8581