Latest news with #GullIsland
CBC
20 hours ago
- Politics
- CBC
Sheshatshiu youth walk 130KM to protect Gull Island
Several younger residents of Sheshatshui are taking it upon themselves to have their concerns heard over the proposed hydroelectric project at Gull Island. "I want our government to treat the youth like they matter. I want my voice to be heard," Percey Montague, 17, told CBC News on Monday. Montague said he doesn't have faith in leadership to represent his community's concerns, after an agreement in principle was signed between between Hydro-Québec and Innu Nation in late June. On Monday, Montague began walking the 130 kilometres from Sheshatshiu to Gull Island to raise awareness of his concerns and those of his community. Joining him are Angel Jourdain, Patrick Jourdain and Mya Pone. The walk is expected to take just over two days. "My concerns are for the protection of our history and our culture and whatever artifacts may be still out there in the land," Montague said. "If this land gets flooded or developed, we may lose a large part of our history." WATCH | The walk is expected to take around 50 hours to complete: Sheshatshiu youth protesting proposed Gull Island project by walking 130 km to site 3 hours ago Duration 2:16 High temperatures and flies didn't stop four youths from Sheshatshiu from protesting the proposed Gull Island hydroelectric project. They're walking the 130 km road from Sheshatshiu to Gull Island, which was blocked off late last week in a fellow protest. The CBC's Regan Burden reports. The group is walking to join several other members of the community who have been holding up a blockade since Wednesday. The blockade protests Hydro-Québec's preliminary site survey work. The agreement in principle between Hydro-Quebec and Innu Nation can only be finalized once it is presented to and voted on by the community in September. Montague said that if the community voted for its ratification, he wants to see the agreement completely renegotiated. He said he would like to see more Innu ownership of the dam or an annual percentage of power that his community would get free of charge. "I believe that since these projects are taking place on Innu land that we should be getting way more, not just cash," Montague said. In a statement to CBC News on Thursday, Hydro-Québec spokesperson Caroline Des Rosiers said the company is in the process of establishing a "mechanism for dialogue with members of the community," and hopes to do so in collaboration with the leadership of Innu Nation, in keeping with their customary practices. "I call this deal a slap in the face," said Jerome Jack, who has been protesting with the blockade. Jack said the compensation in the agreement does not account for the cultural and environmental damage the development would cause. To Montague, Gull Island is an important place for his family and his community. His mother has a cabin on the island. Every September, hundreds from communities across the region come together for a gathering and quality time on the land and with each other. In the lead up to the community's vote in the fall, Montague said he wants his community to think about the lack of response from the Innu leadership to his calls for concern. "I think this is very disappointing and I think it's really telling of our government's inability to listen to us," he said.
CBC
20 hours ago
- Politics
- CBC
Sheshatshiu youth walk 130-km to protect Gull Island
New Percey Montague says Innu leadership must hear the concerns of the youth "I want our government to treat the youth like they matter. I want my voice to be heard." Percey Montague, 17, opposes the proposed hydroelectric project on Gull Island. He also said he doesn't have faith in the Innu Nation leadership to represent the community's concerns with the agreement in principle made between Hydro-Quebec and the Innu Nation in late June. On Monday, Montague began walking 130 kilometres from Sheshatshiu to Gull Island to raise awareness of his concerns and those of his community along with Angel Jourdain, Patrick Jourdain and Mya Pone. The walk is expected to take around 50 hours to complete and they will arrive sometime this week. "My concerns are for the protection of our history and our culture and whatever artifacts may be still out there in the land," Montague said. "If this land gets flooded or developed, we may lose a large part of our history." Image | Percey Montague Caption: Angel Jourdain, Percey Montague, Patrick Jourdain, Mya Pone (l to r) are started the 130 kilometre walk from Sheshatshiu to Gull Island on Monday. (Regan Burden/CBC) Open Image in New Tab The group are walking to join several members of the Innu community who have been holding up a blockade on the island since last Wednesday. The blockade protests Hydro-Quebec's preliminary site surveying work for the proposed hydroelectric project. The agreement in principle between Hydro-Quebec and the Innu Nation can only be finalized once it is presented to and voted on by the community in September. Montague said that if the community voted for its ratification, he wants to see the agreement completely renegotiated. He said he would like to see more Innu ownership of the dam or an annual percentage of power that his community would get free of charge. "I believe that since these projects are taking place on Innu land that we should be getting way more, not just cash," Montague said. In a statement to CBC News on Thursday, Hydro-Quebec spokesperson Caroline Des Rosiers said, "Hydro-Québec is in the process of establishing a mechanism for dialogue with members of the community. That said, we wish to do so in collaboration with the leadership of Innu Nation, in keeping with their customary practices." "I call this deal a slap in the face," said Jerome Jack, who has been protesting with the blockade. Jack said the compensation in the agreement does not account for the cultural and environmental damage the development would cause. To Montague, Gull Island is an important place for his family and his community. His mother has a cabin on the island. Every September, hundreds from communities across the region come together for a gathering filled with activities, quality time on the land and with each other. In the lead up to the community's vote in the fall, Montague said he wants his community to think about the lack of response from the Innu leadership to his calls for concern. "I think this is very disappointing and I think it's really telling of our government's inability to listen to us," he said.
CBC
a day ago
- CBC
Sheshatshiu youth protesting proposed Gull Island project by walking 130 km to site
High temperatures and flies didn't stop four youths from Sheshatshiu from protesting the proposed Gull Island hydroelectric project. They're walking the 130 km road from Sheshatshiu to Gull Island, which was blocked off late last week in a fellow protest. The CBC's Regan Burden reports.
CBC
6 days ago
- Business
- CBC
It's not a done deal, but Hydro-Québec is spending millions on Gull Island study
Even without a finalized agreement in place, Hydro-Québec is spending millions of dollars on site studies for a proposed hydroelectric project on the lower Churchill River in Labrador. In a statement on Tuesday, Hydro-Québec said workers will be on the ground of Gull Island later this week to collect environmental data, complete surveys and install construction trailers as part of geotechnical and environmental studies. Hydro-Québec spokesperson Lynn St-Laurent later told CBC News she expects workers will be in the area until the end of September or mid-October, with 40 on site at the study's peak. "Today, for instance, there's probably less than 10 people, but that'll be building up in the coming days," St-Laurent said, adding the surveying work is expected to start in the coming days. Surveying the ground of Gull Island will involve some drilling and tree clearing, she said. "This is kind of a standard process, though, because this is a large endeavour and there's a lot of information that we need to get ready," she said. "There's also some components that are standard for the reaching of the final agreement." A memorandum of understanding to develop more hydroelectric capacity on the Churchill River — including the Gull Island project — was first announced in December and is set to be finalized in April 2026. "This is an important step on a long path toward developing this major renewable energy resource. Seeing the first workers in the field gives further impetus to the project," Hydro-Québec president and CEO Claudine Bouchard said in the statement. "It's a clear affirmation of our commitment to carrying out this historic project, signing a final agreement with our partner N.L. Hydro, and working with Indigenous and local businesses in Labrador." The Quebec Crown corporation estimates the study will cost between $10 to $15 million, which is coming from Hydro-Québec's subsidiary Société d'Énergie de la Baie James. The statement also said the two Crown corporations — Hydro-Québec and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro — are aiming on a final agreement "in the coming months." Local boost The news of site work comes a few weeks after the Innu Nation and Hydro-Québec announced they had reached a Churchill Falls agreement. St-Lauren told CBC News that Hydro-Québec's survey will not impact the Mainishan Nui Gathering, which takes place during the third week of September on Gull Island. "We certainly don't want to disrupt that event, and we're making sure to to preserve that calendar and be a respectful obviously of of that event," she said. Gull Island is one of the last undeveloped hydroelectric projects in North America. The Gull Island project would be a new entity, owned 60 per cent by N.L. Hydro and 40 per cent by Hydro-Québec. The target date for commissioning Gull Island is 2035. In its statement on Tuesday, Hydro-Québec said the studies are already giving boosts to Newfoundland and Labrador businesses, pointing to Stassinu Stantec Limited Partnership as the company to carry out the geotechnical studies and Air Borealis to transport employees.
CBC
07-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
$33B in construction spending for Labrador megaprojects is welcome news for industry
While shovels aren't yet in the ground and no labour contracts are signed, billions of dollars in planned construction spending for a new megaproject has many optimistic about the positive impact the new Churchill Falls deal will have on Newfoundland and Labrador. A memorandum of understanding for Churchill Falls hydroelectric plant and other projects was announced in December and is set to be finalized in April 2026. It will require approximately $33 billion in construction contracts between Churchill Falls and Gull Island. "Thirty-three billion [dollars'] worth of construction is significant, no question," Trades N.L. executive director Bob Fiander told reporters while attending Energy N.L.'s annual conference in downtown St. John's earlier this week. Stéphane Jean, a senior director with Hydro-Quebec, says construction on Gull Island's temporary infrastructure, like the work camps and roads, will begin next year, while construction at the Churchill Falls extension will begin in 2029. Fiander says his members need this work. "We're about 70 per cent unemployed," he said. "We're looking forward to getting shovels in the ground and that's important for us because, you know, when our members are not working, they're not getting paid. They're looking elsewhere." While there haven't been any signed labour agreements, he says he's looking forward to what lies ahead. Fiander says he also welcomes the news from Prime Minister Mark Carney on fast-tracking projects deemed "nation-building." "Fortunately for Newfoundland and Labrador, we have a number of projects that could be nation-building projects," said Fiander. 'Optimistic about the future' Energy N.L. CEO Charlene Johnson says the investment will mean a lot of work for her members through construction, environmental work and building transmission lines. "That's very exciting for our members because really we're at a little bit of a lull in the industry now and I'm very optimistic about the future," she said. Johnson added Bay du Nord won't have a decision on its future for some time, making the Churchill Falls deal the next big project in the province. She says Energy N.L. members will have to be ready soon for work on the camp, roads and bridges needed in Labrador. "They said they want to move quickly because all of this has to happen in very short order if they're going to have this power in place within 10 years," she said. Brad Forsey, director of business development for the Cahill Group and vice-chair of Energy N.L. board of directors, says there's going to be a lot of long-term construction work ahead of the sector. "It's a great opportunity for us to be involved from the beginning all the way to the end. We've been involved in similar type projects in this industry and adjacent industries. And we look forward to the opportunities that we have here in front of us," he said. Forsey agreed with Johnson that these projects are important. "There is a bit of a lull right now, but we need to make sure that we're ready and we need to communicate and show to them that we're ready."
