The objectives of the fish component of the integrated oil sands monitoring program are to provide the necessary data/information to address key questions related to both environmental health of fish populations and fish health issues that can be used to inform human use and consumption. The questions underlying the fish monitoring design are related to the status and health of wild fish populations in the Lower Athabasca River including and in an expanded geographical extent. Data is being collected to provide a baseline against which future changes in fish populations will be evaluated, and compared to data from historical studies to assess change over time to the current state. Data is also being collected in areas of new oil sands development, to develop baseline data for future site-specific comparisons, contribute to an expanded geographic basis of the overall monitoring plan, and contribute to an improved ability to examine cumulative effects.

The surface water quality (WQ) program, as part of the Joint Canada/Alberta Implementation Plan, is designed to improve the ability to detect change and predict effects in relation to point and non‐point sources. A mass‐balance approach has been used for assessing the quantity, movement, and cycling of materials in the watershed. Applying this approach required a sampling program which included quantification of the sources, transport, flux, and fate of materials and contaminants. The Surface WQ monitoring sampling includes, in part, collection of; - event (freshet and rain) based WQ samples in tributaries ranging from daily to bi-weekly, - WQ samples in the Athabasca River using cross-channel transect methods at specified Phase 1 sites, - enhanced (additional parameters) WQ sampling at M9, M12, and M11A and at 5 new interconnecting channel stations within the Expanded Geographical Area (EGA), - ground water samples in specific high priority tributaries, and - auto-monitoring (near real-time) on a subset of parameters at sites in the EGA

Benthic invertebrates monitoring includes both lotic (rivers/streams) and lentic (wetlands) ecosystems. Aquatic biomonitoring provides a direct measure of change in biotic populations and communities in relation to benchmark or reference conditions and can help identify the ecological effects of cumulative stressors. Used together with the water chemical and physical monitoring components, this program uses an integrated approach to assess whether ecological affects are occurring in response to OS developments. Sampling can include the collection of invertebrates, algal biomass, water chemistry, and appropriate supporting habitat information and is conducted during periods of high abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrates. Sampling focuses on near-shore gravel and sand habitats on the Athabasca River, erosional habitats on major tributaries and in wadable areas in deltaic wetlands within the Expanded Geographical Area. As of October 2012, over 80 locations have been visited.

30-year Average Number of Days with Temperature above 25 °C are defined as the count of the number of climate days during the month where the maximum daily temperature was greater than 25 °C. These values are calculated across Canada in 10x10 km cells.

The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) has been recognized as the most accessible index for quantifying and reporting meteorological drought. On short timescales, the SPI is closely related to soil moisture, while at longer timescales, the SPI can be related to groundwater and reservoir storage. The model uses observed historical precipitation amounts to compute probability distributions which are then normalized using an incomplete gamma function over a range of timescales. The values can be interpreted as the number of standard deviations by which the observed anomaly deviates from the long-term mean. where positive values (greater than zero) result from above average conditions.

Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nest boxes are installed in oil sands area and in reference locations to monitor contaminant levels and impacts on tree swallow nestlings. The exposure to tree swallow nestlings to air-borne oil sands-related contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is assessed using passive air samplers. Measures of avian health are examined in relation to location of sampling and contaminants measured.

The Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) is computed similarly to the SPI. The main difference is that SPI assesses precipitation variance, while SPEI also considers demand from evapotranspiration which is subtracted from any precipitation accumulation prior to assessment. Unlike the SPI, the SPEI captures the main impact of increased temperatures on water demand.

Water level and discharge data are available from Water Survey of Canada’s Hydrometric Network. The Water Survey of Canada (WSC) is the national authority responsible for the collection, interpretation and dissemination of standardized water resource data and information in Canada. In partnership with the provinces, territories and other agencies, WSC operates over 2500 active hydrometric gauges across the country, maintains an archive of historical information for over 7600 stations and provides access to near real-time (water level and stream flow) provisional data at over 1700 locations in Canada.

Here is a selection of map services from Statistics Canada displaying socio-economic variables as thematic maps, viewed by census subdivision. This selection covers the following themes: families and households, housing, education, language, income, immigration, aboriginal people, age and transport. Census subdivision (CSD) is the general term for municipalities (as determined by provincial/territorial legislation) or areas treated as municipal equivalents for statistical purposes (e.g., Indian reserves, Indian settlements and unorganized territories). Municipal status is defined by laws in effect in each province and territory in Canada. NOTE: Services by theme may not all be listed in the Related Products section below as they are added individually only once available for publication.