Families in Manitoba Pay the Price
Already, a great deal of environmental damage and human suffering
has been caused by Manitoba Hydro projects, which have harmed
thousands of miles of shoreline, millions of acres of forest, and
thousands of aboriginal people.
Wrongful Deaths.
Manitoba Hydro has settled the claims of six wrongful death suits in
just one First Nation community. Cree First Nations claim that many
more of its community members have been killed directly or
indirectly by the mega-project. Many have drowned trying to travel
on ice and water.
Families Hurting.
Cree First Nations of Northern Manitoba have among the highest
suicide rates in Canada--ten times the national average. The
Pimicikamak Cree at Cross Lake, Manitoba, a community of 4,000, had
more than 100 residents attempted suicide in the second half of 1999
alone. Alcoholism has increased dramatically in Cree communities
impacted by hydro development, because of the pervasive feeling of
hopelessness. Read more:
Social Problems, Community Trauma and Hydro Project Impacts
A Bleak Economy
Flooding from dams has negatively impacted Cree First Nations'
ability to provide for themselves, with unemployment rates reaching
staggering levels as high as 85 percent to 95 percent. Prior to
Manitoba Hydro's hydropower projects, Cree First Nations operated
successful commercial fisheries, distributing whitefish across the
world.
Water, Forests and Habitat Pay the Price
Massive Erosion & Flooding Means Muddy Waters.
Manitoba Hydro dams have caused erosion to thousands of miles of
lake and river shorelines, resulting in murky waters full of
suspended soil and particles. Hydro dams are responsible for
extensive flooding. In fact, "[m]ore than 2,600 square kilometers
(over 1,000 square miles) of land mainly in northern parts of the
province, has been flooded for hydroelectric production" (Ramsey,
1991: 84). The World Commission on Dams (2002), an organization
supported in part by Manitoba Hydro, found that "[g]reenhouse gases
are emitted for decades from all dam reservoirs in the boreal and
tropic regions for which measurements have been made. This is in
contrast to the widespread assumption that such emissions are
negligible" (p. 75).
Dead and Dying Trees Everywhere.
Manitoba Hydro dams have forever altered millions of acres of
forest. Imagine going to your lake cabin and finding that shorelines
were piled with dead trees, and masses of floating trees blocked
your access to the water. That's how the people of northern Manitoba
live.
For Indigenous Peoples living in the Boreal Forest, an unhealthy
forest ecosystem means unhealthy cultures and unhealthy communities.
Fishing and Hunting Damaged.
Flooding caused by Manitoba Hydro dams have destroyed shoreline
vegetation that supports wildlife like moose, otters, and waterfowl.
Mercury containation limits fish consumption and sale. Water drawn
down in winter forms hanging ice shelves on lakes and rivers, making
it difficult for moose and caribou to cross. Muddy, opaque water and
rotting dead trees deplete oxygen in the lakes, damaging fishing in
areas local people historically have relied on for food. Older
community members claim they now have to travel for hours by
motorboat to get to moose habitat when it used to be out their front
door.
Minnesotans Pay the Price
In December 2002, Xcel Energy, already Manitoba Hydro's biggest
export customer, signed a ten-year, $1 billion contract with
Manitoba Hydro for 500 megawatts of electricity from 2005-2015.
Manitoba Hydro intends to double its hydro system capacity from
5,000 megawatts to 10,000 megawatts. Five thousand megawatts is
enough electricity to power 3.25 million Minnesota homes. What does
this mean for rural Minnesota?
Xcel Energy describes Manitoba Hydro's power as cheap. It costs Xcel
Energy an average of just over $19 per megawatt-hour (transmission
costs are extra) in 2002, compared to an average of nearly $28 per
megawatt-hour from the company's other power suppliers. Manitoba
Hydro is able to sell this power to U.S. utilities at such a reduced
rate because the external envrionmental and socioeconomic costs are
not included. This hurts Cree and Metis communities in Manitoba and
Minnesota's own renewable energy development.
Economic Development Displaced.
Artificially cheap hydroelectricity displaces the development of
sustainable energy, like wind, that can boost ailing farm economies
in rural Minnesota. Studies suggest increasing clean energy sources
and enhancing energy efficiency in Minnesota would mean $1 billion
increase in state revenue and 14,000 new jobs by 2020.
Displaced Clean, Sustainable Energy Development.
Minnesota currently relies largely on coal, nuclear, and Manitoba
Hydro imports for its energy, while the state's wind potential is
seven times our net consumptive needs. Public health and the
environment depends on the development of clean, sustainable
sources, like wind.
Laws and Legislation
Northern Flood Agreement - Broken Promises
The 1977 Flood Agreement, between the Cree Nations and the
Canadian Government/Manitoba Hydro is filled with broken promises.
Significant issues have not been resolved and little effort has been
made to mitigate the following problems:
-
It promised four acres of land for everyone
acre flooded.
-
It promised compensation for lost hunting,
fishing, and trapping.
-
It promised to eradicate mass poverty and
unemployment. (A sense of hopelessness is pervasive in the
community of Cross Lake with unemployment rates reaching
staggering levels of 85 percent to 95percent.)
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