A recent report on the lack of enforcement of environmental regulations in the Alberta oilsands represents an opportunity to improve scientific literacy. Teaching science through the exploration of controversial subjects is one way to engage students in the subject matter. The Science Education Resource Center at Carlton College (SERC) in the USA suggests teaching the science first by having students work through data sets allowing them to discover for themselves the extent of environmental change in an area/region. Assignments that allow students to explore the kinds of 'ill-structured' problems posed by controversial issues exposes them to the kinds of problems they will encounter in their careers and lives.