The view from Rivière-au-Tonnerre, North Shore, Gulf of St Lawrence - by Ann Jarnet

Most people who hear about La Romaine know that Hydro-Québec has undertaken an immense hydro-electric construction project on a lovely river near Havre-Saint-Pierre on Québec's North Shore, along highway 138, the only road connecting a string of small villages to what the media call the "real world".

Those who talk about the project can be easily divided into two camps: those, usually "from away", who are against the project for environmental and other reasons; and, those who stand to benefit from royalties that will come from the sale of electricity, that is, the small communities which have suffered from the collapse of the fishing industry.

I live in Rivière-au-Tonnerre, 100 km west of Havre-Saint-Pierre, right on the highway. I have a lovely little house with an immense porch on which I can sit and stare at the sea from any angle as I have an uninterrupted view of the water from the extreme east to the extreme west. My little community of 325 people will benefit from the royalties, and some of the younger people (yes, there are a few left here) are hoping to find jobs on the Romaine project; others will be employed as a result of related economic activity. There's a new energy in the village, especially since we are hoping to join the Villages-Relais network which will encourage tourists to stop here and to linger before carrying on with their journey.

Environmental concerns? Yes. Hope for the future? Yes, I see a way and a pace of life here which pleases me as I move into "retirement mode" and I really don't want to lose that.

What really concerns me right now is the traffic on highway 138, that single artery which connects us to Sept-Iles, to Québec City, to Montreal. That single well-worn artery is being challenged as its rickety bridges, eroded curbs are being battered by immense trucks
carrying buildings, machinery and unusual and large objects for which I have no vocabulary. Meeting them on the highway means that even the small car must stop and hug the curb or even hit the gravel. I think the highway itself was an expansion of moose trails which curve and go up and down -- there are few places where one can safely pass another vehicle.

Dealing with these trucks in the village is quite another matter. Truck drivers do not slow down. The speed limit in my village is 50 km/hour; the trucks go by at 70 or 80 km/hour in my part of the village. Aside from the obvious safety issue, there is the noise level which offends me as the trucks drive by day and night. The damage to the road itself can't be forgotten as well.

A spirited neighbour who spends his days listening to his CB radio told me of a conversation he heard between two truck drivers who made comments about the decorations on a rather unique house in our village. The conversation focused on speculation that the decorations had been made by "some guy on welfare". My spirited friend was so insulted that he blasted those two drivers to smithereens even though the house was not his. Although he was laughing when he told me the story, I left with feelings of disappointment at the lack of respect that can result from such projects:

1. the Québec government seems to have no interest in investing in our highway which often is shut down because of floods, landslides, etc. Trucks in such numbers will only make our precious road more vulnerable. Some preparatory work by Transport Québec would have gone a long way; repairs will be far more expensive...

2. companies under contract to Hydro Québec (the driving force of Quebec Inc) need to "hurry" to extract as much profit from the work they do transporting goods to the construction site The concerns of citizens who live along the highway are not even part of the equation. I won't let my neigbours call it as "sustainable development" -- sustainable development has a social aspect that is often forgotten or, even worse, misunderstood. I'd have a bit to say about that.

3. our local politicians see hope for prosperity (attracting young families so that our school can stay open, for example) and may often "hold their noses" instead of insisting that our villages be treated with respect.

.... and this is just the beginning. Over the next ten years, there will be tens of thousands of such trucks coming and going 20 meters from my porch.

The dark side of "renewable energy" - Quebec natives / Les Premières Nations du Québec montre le côté noir de l'énergie 'renouvellable'

Le projet hydroélectrique de la rivière La Romaine est situé sur un territoire jamais cédé par les Innus, selon l'Assemblée des Premières Nations du Québec et du Labrador.

La Romaine : photo Sierra Club APNQL Wendake, QC, le 17 sept 08. "Au-delà de tous les débats à propos du projet hydro-électrique de la rivière La Romaine, il serait bon de rappeler à toutes les parties concernées que les titres et les droits des Premières Nations sur le territoire n'ayant jamais fait l'objet d'un traité n'ont aucunement été éteints ou cédés. Malheureusement, le gouvernement du Québec agit souvent comme si tous ces droits n'existaient pas. Cette façon de faire ne peut pas durer. Les Premières Nations sont disposées à prendre les moyens nécessaires pour faire respecter leurs titres et leurs droits ancestraux sur ce territoire", indique Ghislain Picard, Chef de l'Assemblée des Premières Nations du Québec et du Labrador.

L'APNQL tient ainsi à mettre en garde le gouvernement du Québec et sa société d'Etat Hydro-Québec contre toute action qui irait à l'encontre des droits existants des Innus et des autres Premières Nations. Elle tient particulièrement à rappeler que le Québec n'est pas le propriétaire unique du territoire, qu'il en partage la propriété d'une grande partie, notamment celui de la Côte-Nord, avec les Premières Nations. "Là où nous avons des titres et des droits ancestraux, le développement du territoire doit se faire avec le consentement des Premières Nations", de préciser le Chef Picard.

Le projet de la rivière La Romaine qui a fait l'objet d'une étude d'impacts aura des effets à court et à long terme sur une des plus belles rivières du Québec.

The Innu protest against hydroelectric dams that will destroy a unique ecosystem on the Romaine, without consultation or treaty, is typical of those by aboriginal peoples around the world. Hydro development also opens the way to mining projects with further environmental damage. Canada has been leading the fight against aboriginal rights at the UN and provides a "flag of convenience" for some of the world's worst mining companies.

The World Bank, which finances many such megaprojects, has been severely criticized for its wilful neglect of environmental impacts. Some are financed with Kyoto CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) money -- which has also inexcusably been used to build coal-burning plants in China -- and the WB threatens to use the billions in carbon emission funds from the post-Kyoto framework in equally unsound ways. Local and national governments justify their action by appealing to job creation, development, limitless growth, and renewable "clean" power. All of the claims need to be tested against the real environment impacts they generate.

Romaine River: photo by Jean Daniel

AFNQL statement, Wendake, QC, 17 Sept. 08 - "Beyond all the debates concerning the hydroelectric project of La Romaine River, it would be good to remind all the concerned parties [of] the titles and the rights of the First Nations on the territory which has never been the subject of a treaty, in no way have they been extinguished or given up. Unfortunately, the government of Quebec often acts as if all these rights did not exist. This way of doing things can no longer be tolerated. The First Nations are prepared to take all the necessary means to have their titles and their ancestral rights respected on this territory", indicated Ghislain Picard, the Chief of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL).

The AFNQL wishes to warn the government of Quebec and its Crown Corporation, Hydro-Quebec, against any action which would go against the existing rights of the Innus and the other First Nations. The AFNQL wishes to remind especially that Quebec is not the sole owner of the territory, that it shares the property of a large portion, notably that of the Upper North Shore, with the First Nations. "Wherever, we have titles and ancestral rights, the
development of the territory must be done with the consent of the First Nations", specified Chief Picard.

The project of La Romaine River, which was the object of an impact study, will have effects in a short and a long term, on one of the most beautiful rivers in Quebec."

See also:
Le film Chercher le Courant de Nicolas Boisclair et Alexis de Gheldere, avec Roy Dupuis, sur La Romaine.
Innu cultural survival: Tshikapisk Foundation in English, French, Espanol, etc.
Cultural Survival supports indigenous rights around the world

UNESCO Frontlines Forum for indigenous peoples, small islands and vulnerable communities facing climate change
Innu First Nation Ecosystem-based planning proposal
CHRC criticism of federal government delays in negotiations with the Innu
Hydro Quebec projects including the Romaine
Mining Watch Canada and Medallion iron-titanium project on the Romaine
Alliance Romaine, its blog with pictures, and Club Sierra Québec campaign to save the Romaine
Noir Canada: livre qui exposé les méfaits de corporations canadiennes; l'auteur est poursuivi en SLAPP;
voir nos articles précédents sur les poursuites SLAPP au Québec