The recent blue heron deaths at a Syncrude site are under investigation. Approximately 30 dead blue herons have been located at the Mildred Lake site operated by Syncrude. The Syncrude Canada spokesman Will Gibson reported that the first dead birds were found Wednesday afternoon close to a pump house at the site, and there were 29 birds initially found. One of the blue herons was still alive but had to be euthanized. Shannon Phillips, the Environment Minister for Alberta, said “Events like this are extremely troubling, and that’s why we have taken initial, very quick steps to ensure there is a high quality investigation, which has already begun.” An investigation by the Alberta Energy Regulator has been started to determine the cause of death for the blue herons.

The investigation into the blue heron deaths at the Syncrude site will be thorough. Gibson reassured the public that the blue heron deaths are being investigated as a serious matter, saying “There will be a very thorough investigation into what caused this. We are co-operating with the three agencies that are investigating this on site. We intend to find out what happened and address it. From our CEO on down…this is something that every Syncrude employee wants to find out the answers to. Because there’s nobody happy at our site today.” Energy Regulator spokesperson Bob Curran stated “Where they found them was close to an old sump. And the bird that they first found was oiled in that bitumen.” Gibson reported that the wildlife deterrence systems were operating, and added “Those are deployed in areas where there’s active tailings facilities. When we file our waterfowl protection plan, with the regulator, that’s where we have to have our deterrents.”