But it’s the same problem, isn’t it? But about the fish or the berries or the trees, people are like, “Eh, whatever.” The ducks made the New York Times, though, and the oil companies had to come out cap in hand and apologize and pay a big fine. They were catching fish at the same time in the Athabasca River that had lesions on them - like cancerous-looking lesions - and no one really cared about that. It meant a lot to me.Ī I think there was something very cinematic about all the ducks getting caught in the tailings pond and dying. I had made short autobio strips before, but a large project like this was something much different - it was a leap of faith and an ambitious thing. Out east, almost everyone is affected by or knows someone who is affected by the realities of remote work in the oil sands. Q Can you talk about why you wanted to make Ducks?Ī I wanted to make this book for a long time, because I carried memories of my time in the oil sands with me wherever I went and thought of them often. 7 if you can make it down, but I had a chance to talk with her about this book, which is honestly one of the best things I’ve ever read by a Canadian author, and will undoubtedly be summoned as a revealing historical document decades, if not even longer, from now.

The author will be at Calgary’s Wordfest at Central Library Nov. Kate Beaton now lives back in Cape Breton with her family. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

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Kate beaton oil sands