Posted: May 13, 2021 5:58 PM CT | Last Updated: May 13
Manitoba Conservation and Climate Minister Sarah Guillemard says she will not hesitate to impose further conditions on Hydro in the future in order to operate the two projects.(Ian Froese/CBC)
The provincial government has issued licences with new operational terms to Manitoba Hydro for two programs that critics say have devastated the environment and economy in parts of the north.
Manitoba Hydro s Churchill River Diversion and Lake Winnipeg regulation projects both control water levels of the Nelson River. Created in the 1970s and renewed annually since 1986, both have been controversial when it comes to impacts on Indigenous communities.
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O-Pipon-Na-Piwin and Tataskweyak Cree Nations are calling for improved consultations on the potential for a Final Licence on the Churchill River Diversion and the end of the Augmented Flow Program, which they say has devastated their fisheries.
Manitoba Hydro has been operating on annual interim licences since the project was completed in 1977 and the province has said a final licence will be granted to take Hydro through to 2026. The Augmented Flow Program has been in place since 1986 and has permitted Hydro to operate at a range of water levels and flows above and below what is stipulated in the original licence.
WINNIPEG Two Manitoba First Nations are asking the provincial government to hold off on granting a final licence to Manitoba Hydro’s Churchill River Diversion until their concerns are addressed. The Churchill River Diversion, which has been functional since 1976, brings more water to Hydro’s generating station on the lower Nelson River, which is helpful for power generation. It has been operating on an interim licence, but the province is considering granting a full licence. However, O-Pipon-Na-Piwin and Tataskweyak Cree Nations want their concerns addressed before a full licence is issued. The First Nations said some of the issues brought about by the Churchill River Diversion include ruined shorelines, disruptions to local fish habitats, and declines in commercial fisheries.
The billboard points to an online petition asking the Conservation Minister Sarah Guillemard to decline a permanent licence request for Manitoba Hydro's Churchill River Diversion, which was created to increase water flow to generating stations.