By Fred Curatolo
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Reclamation of oil sands tailings ponds isn't sufficiently viable — either economically or scientifically — to offset the environmental impact of oil sands mining, and the province needs to regulate the industry more closely, he added.

"[The oilsands deposit] will be a curse if it's not managed properly. It can also be a great gift to Canada and to Alberta, if it is managed properly," Cameron told a news conference in Edmonton.

The Canadian-born director, whose blockbuster science fiction film Avatar tells a cautionary tale of corporate greed and the consequences of a fight over natural resources, was joined by a number of First Nations leaders.

They included the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Shawn Alteo; Al Lameman, the chief of the Beaver Lake Cree First Nation; Gerald Amos of the B.C.-based Coastal First Nations Alliance, and activist and former Mikisew Cree chief George Poitras.

"Any movement forward must include real, not token, involvement from First Nations people," says Cameron.