TREATY 6, 7, AND 8 TERRITORIES / EDMONTON, AB — March 18, 2026 — The Chiefs Steering Committee on Technical Services and Keepers of the Water stand in unified, absolute opposition to the Government of Alberta’s Water Amendment Act (formerly Bill 7) which came into force on March 14, 2026.  The Act makes it easier for Alberta to authorize water transfers between major river basins and merges the Peace/Slave and Athabasca river basins to lessen regulatory oversight and scrutiny.

This legislation—passed without the free, prior, and informed consent of First Nations whose traditional territories it impacts—poses incredible risks to the water we need to live. By merging the Peace/Slave and Athabasca River basins into a single entity and enabling lower-risk inter-basin transfers by ministerial order, the province eased the exploitation of our collective waters at the height of a climate crisis. The Treaties guaranteed that our Nations would be able to continue our way of life, which is dependant upon the availability of clean and plentiful water.

“The Government of Alberta has chosen to ignore its legal and sacred obligations to the Treaty Nations,” says Chief Rupert Meneen, Tallcree Tribal Government, Treaty 8 Territory. “Within a day of an Order in Council, Premier Smith’s government has changed not one, but multiple, river systems and watersheds—an act that can never be reversed and could damage our waters forever. They have acted with complete disregard to the long-term effects of their short-sighted decision.”

The merger of the Peace-Slave and Athabasca basins creates one massive management area that contains 80% of the province’s river flows by volume. This administrative simplification ignores the unique biological and chemical profiles of these distinct watersheds.

“Rivers do not follow political boundaries, and they cannot be merged on a spreadsheet without real consequences,” says Jesse Cardinal, Executive Director of Keepers of the Water. “Moving water between basins risks the spread of invasive species, alters water chemistry, and threatens the downstream well-being of dozens of First Nations, not only in the Alberta region but also in the Northwest Territories. This gift to the oil and gas lobby will be paid for by future generations.”

A Call to Action

The Chiefs Steering Committee and Keepers of the Water demand a pause on all applications for inter-basin water transfers or intra-basin water diversions within the amalgamated Peace/Slave-Athabasca River Basin until meaningful Nation-to-Nation negotiations take place.

We call for solidarity with all Albertans, municipalities, and downstream jurisdictions to stand with us and reach out to their elected leaders to consider the implications of inter-basin transfers on their grandchildren—and align their perspective for the good of the Earth and all of her children.

“Contrary to what Premier Smith seem to believe, we are not masters of the environment; we must live in coexistence with it,” says Chief Sheldon Sunshine, Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, Treaty 8. “We will take all necessary steps to protect our most sacred resources for all peoples. Every Albertan needs to wake up and take a stand against this government.”