Sabia will meet the Inu of Onamen Shibu, who are opposed to the construction of the dam

Although the Innu people of Unamin Shipu still say they do not approve of a potential dam being built on the Piti-Micatena River, Hydro Quebec CEO Michael Sabia plans to meet with the indigenous community soon for discussions.

The Ainu people of the Basse-Côte-Nord region regularly denounce the lack of information from authorities surrounding a hydropower project that potentially intends to flood an area of ​​228 square kilometres.².

The First Nation, with a population of about 1,200 people, criticizes the government company for undertaking initiatives on its territory without its approval. Last September, the head of Unamen Shipu, Raymond Bellefleur, had already referred to several activities, in particular the flight of helicopters above which he described asunacceptable.

The indigenous leader and several members of his council informed the head of the government institution about this during a meeting organized in Montreal on September 28.

We explained to Mr. Sabya our position on the matter, which is that we do not want to hear anything about a preliminary studyRaymond Bellefleur announced in an interview.

We want our rights to be respected and to do this kind of behavior without our consent, well, that’s disrespectful to us.

The chef traveled to Montreal to answer an invitation CEO Hydro Québec, but also to ensure the support of the Innu communities in Québec. Many leaders support us, assuring us of all their help so that our rights are respectedconfirms Mr. Bellefleur, noting the support, among other things, for chiefs Rial Mackenzie and Jean-Charles Petacheu, who respectively lead the communities of Matimcoche and Equanichet.

Following this meeting, Mr. Sabia wrote a letter to the Chairman of Unamen Shipu announcing the suspension of the company’s activities, in particular the controversial helicopter flights, as well as field interventions and permit applications.

We are glad to see that we have been heard on these controversial points, but many concerns remain on our part“, explains Mr. Bellefleur. We don’t want a dam here

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In the letter that Espaces Autochtones was able to refer to, it was CEO Hydro-Québec now wants… Start the dialogue With residents and council members to answer questions.

Our teams will be available to answer questions and provide the community with reasons why the initial study is neededHe writes several affirmations Exchange of information Such as the results of the flyby, the different stages of developing a hydropower project or ways of cooperation.

As such, Mr. Sabia promises to meet the President and the community at Unamen Shipu soon So that we take the time to understand each other better and discuss the best way to build a future togetherHe continued.

No no!

the CEO He took the opportunity to announce his error by adding that he had read the construction file for the Lac-Robertson power station, also on the north shore. It is very clear to me that the ways of doing things at that time are inconceivable today.

For his part, the leader sees no benefit from the visit CEO Among the Ainu people, he is not against the idea of ​​Mr. Sabia meeting with members of the community. This is his right. We have already told him that we are not interested in the dam. What matters to us is protecting our lands from destruction and pollution.

A letter he intends to address to the authorities during Thursday’s official opening of the Romaine hydroelectric complex near Havre-Saint-Pierre. I’ll be here to say that no means no!

Hydro-Québec has been eyeing the hydropower potential of the Petit Mécatina River for several years, which has already been mentioned in its 2022-2026 strategic plan. On September 15, Hydro Quebec took another step, revealing the results of a brief study that it sent to the communities concerned, confirming its interest in continuing studies in this field.