Karla Labrecque’s doctor refused to do a blood test until he consults with a local politician [View all]

[arikara]

...

For many months, Mike Labrecque did not connect his headaches, dizziness and weight loss with fumes from the oilsands operations. That April 2012 day he drove to the Baytex field office on his land and said felt too ill to take his tractor to a well pad to pull out a truck. “I told them I can’t do it, I was afraid of losing consciousness” and if that happened while he was driving, the tractor might run into the bitumen storage tanks. In the field office “I said: Is there anything you can do? And the field officer said, ‘I will call the supervisor.’

“A short time later he said ‘Hand in your time sheets, you’re done.’ That’s how it ended.”

Labrecque thought for a long time he had a flu he could never shake. He lost 40 lbs. He noticed his symptoms began to clear up when he moved away. Karla and Alain Labrecque were the first to leave. Karla, who was home with the kids in the fumes all day had constant headaches, fell down the stairs, and watched her two-year-old daughter lose her balance too often.

...

http://www.ernstversusencana.ca/karla-labrecques-doctor-refused-to-do-a-blood-test-until-he-called-the-local-mla-mike-labrecque-got-sick-working-for-baytex-baytex-lets-him-go-youre-done

This is long, there is a lot of info on this page.

Other than the first nations there is a real disconnect with people living around the tar sands. They never seem to put 2 and 2 together when they get sick, or their stock dies, or their water goes bad. I mean, how could you not suspect that the vile fumes you are working in is what is making you sick. Or the stench enveloping your farm is killing your family. The company knew, that's why they fired this guy and they get away with it because they have the doctors scared to diagnose people. Even more dismaying, once people realize that they are being poisoned they still say they support the industry. Its no wonder these companies are getting away with murder.