Posted by Johnathan Northam on October 27, 2014

On September 27, 2014 a small group of leaders and activists from Pimicikamak (pi-mi-chi-ka-mak) territory set up camp outside of the Jenpeg Generating Station approximately 525 km north of Winnipeg. Generations of grievances with Manitoba Hydro had finally reached a tipping point in the northern Cree community who – for more than 40 years – have struggled to cope with the myriad of issues stemming from Manitoba Hydro’s activities on their territory. While there are many grievances most originate fundamentally from the flooding of 65 square km of their ancestral lands.[1] This not only displaced thousands but generated significant social distress as a result of losing their traditional hunting and trapping practices – formerly the main mode of economic survival for the community. These recent actions are not to suggest that Pimicikamak has ever been idle in their resistance to Manitoba Hydro; the community was greatly involved in the negotiations of the Northern Flood Agreement (NFA) in 1977. This agreement committed Manitoba Hydro to supporting First Nation communities affected by the development of their dams in the North. Section E of this agreement goes as far as stating that MB Hydro was committed to “the eradication of mass poverty and mass unemployment and the improvement of the physical, social and economic conditions” of affected communities.[2] Flash forward over 40 years and Pimicikamak residents are, like many indigenous peoples across Canada, still struggling with endemic poverty and un/underemployment.

The largely immeasurable and discursive policies laid out in Section E of the NFA is consistent with a broader narrative about Manitoba Hydro’s benevolence that has remained relatively unquestioned by most living in the privileged south of our province. The more one researches about the environmental impacts of hydroelectricity – soil erosion, water pollution, and wildlife displacement – the more childhood memories of Louie the Lightening Bug begin to resemble propaganda. It is all too comforting to retract into a state of indifferent contentment with the idea that things could always be worse; however, this is anything but a constructive position. Let me be clear – hydroelectricity is not the worst form of energy production. The province of Manitoba did show some progressive foresight when they made this choice in the 1960’s compared to other options available at the time. Unfortunately, they also showed their institution’s legacy of colonization when they achieved this goal at the expense of – and without regard for – the indigenous peoples of the land they manipulated. It is this legacy that drove the Pimicikamak people, led by their Chief Catherine Merrick, to evict Manitoba Hydro from their territory on October 6, 2014. Four demands were given:

1) A public apology from Premier Greg Selinger for the past and present harms suffered by all hydro-affected peoples and their lands.

2) A commitment from the Province and Manitoba Hydro to engage in a good-faith process to fulfill promises made in the NFA including measures related to community development, environmental mitigation, and maximum employment opportunities.

3) A revenue sharing agreement and/or water rental agreement with Pimicikamak.

4) A commitment from the Province and Manitoba Hydro to undertake a comprehensive review of how the northern hydropower system is operated with a view to minimizing environmental impacts. [3]

Pimicikamak community members are not asking Manitoba Hydro to change their official policy – they are simply asking for them to live up to the ones they ostensibly already agreed to. It is not radical to believe that these goals are easily achievable considering the 3.58 million dollars in energy MB Hydro pumps out of northern communities every day. It is equally as justified to believe something fundamentally unjust with someone not being able to afford electricity that is created in their own backyard and at the direct expense of their community. As the province contemplates the creation of even more dams in the North it is necessary for us to stop and consider: can hydroelectricity power a decolonized Manitoba?

[1] http://not-so-great-northern-transmission-line.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Pimicikamak-Take-Over-Statement-Oct-17-2014.pdf

[2] https://www.hydro.mb.ca/community/agreements/nfa/sched_e.htm

[3] http://not-so-great-northern-transmission-line.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Pimicikamak-Take-Over-Statement-Oct-17-2014.pdf