For years, residents of the northern Alberta community of Fort Chipewyan have been plagued by rare forms of cancer. They are concerned toxins from nearby oil sands production might be to blame. Industry and government, meanwhile, claim production in the oil sands contributed zero pollution to the Athabasca River.

In 2010, new independent research measured pollution in waters flowing through the Alberta oil sands and discovered higher-than-expected levels of toxins, including arsenic, lead and mercury, coming from industrial plants. Dr. David Schindler, renowned freshwater scientist, lead the research. By the end of 2010 reports from Canada's Auditor General, the Royal Society of Canada, and a panel of experts appointed by then Environment Minister Jim Prentice revealed a decade of lax and inadequate pollution monitoring, paid for by industry, in Alberta's oil sands.

The Tipping Point documentary climax shows how Professor Schindler's research findings, and the determination of Fort Chipewyan residents, are leading to change. In December 2010, the special scientific review by a high-level federal panel declared environmental monitoring standards in the oil sands seriously flawed. In a dramatic reversal of their previous position, both the Canadian and Albertan governments announced steps to improve pollution monitoring.