Review hydro practices, First Nations urge
Last Updated: Friday, November 20, 2009 | 1:21 PM CT
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
First Nations in southern Manitoba are demanding Manitoba Hydro review its operations to stop damage they claim northern dams are causing to their communities.
The Sagkeeng First Nation is located on the Winnipeg River near Lake Winnipeg.
The band claims Manitoba has been raising lake levels, leading to the destruction of shoreline.
"We've seen the shorelines eroded to the point where we have seven homes within 10 feet of shoreline which used to exist on close to 50 feet," Lyle Morrisseau, a band councilor from the community, said Friday. "It's that serious."
Another community, on the Fisher River, has a similar concern.
"Each and every year the flooding seems to be more pronounced," said Glen Hudson, chief of the Peguis First Nation. "Last year ... we flooded three times. So it's about time we call on this environmental audit."
Hudson said almost 300 houses were flooded in 2009, and some families have not been able to return to their homes.
Both the Sagkeeng and Peguis First Nations have joined with the Southern Chiefs Organization (SCO) in calling on Manitoba Hydro to conduct an environmental audit on its damming practices.
The SCO claims there are 26 First Nations affected by Hydro operations.
However, Manitoba Hydro officials said there is no basis for the SCO's complaint. They said the lake levels have not changed since Hydro began regulating them and there has been no complaints about the lake backing up into its tributaries.
Share Tools
Latest Manitoba News Headlines
- Jets can't take advantage against Isles
- P.A. Parenteau scored the winner early in the third period and Evgeni Nabokov made 37 saves as the New York Islanders defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-1 on Tuesday. more »
- Northwestern Ontario man stabbed to death in Winnipeg
- Winnipeg has recorded its fourth homicide of 2012, after an 18-year-old man from a northwestern Ontario reserve died from a stabbing early Tuesday. more »
- Public golf course supporters mad after debate stopped
- Winnipeggers who oppose the possible sale and development of city-owned golf courses came away empty-handed and angry after councillors opted not to discuss the issue. more »
- Electric cars can handle Canadian winter
- New data obtained by CBC News suggests the range of electric cars are significantly impaired by extreme cold, but not enough to affect the commuting habits of most Canadians. more »
Top News Headlines
- Air Canada confident it can reach deal with pilots
- Travellers flying Air Canada can keep booking their flights as negotiations continue with a new federally appointed mediator to help resolve an ongoing contract dispute between the airline and its pilots. more »
- Legalize pot, say former B.C. attorneys general
- Four former B.C. attorneys general are joining a coalition of health and justice experts calling for the legalization of marijuana. more »
- Whitney Houston's funeral to be held Saturday
- Pop star Whitney Houston's funeral service will be held Saturday in the New Jersey church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child. more »
- Online surveillance bill targets child porn: Toews
- A bill that would give police and intelligence agencies new powers to access Canadians' electronic communications is needed to protect against child pornography, says Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. more »
- Northwestern Ontario man stabbed to death in Winnipeg
- Manitoba families march for missing, slain women
- Electric cars can handle Canadian winter
- Public golf course supporters mad after debate stopped
- Winnipeg's Mariaggi listed among world's romantic hotels
- Boreal ducks threatened by climate change
- Private charges in Winnipeg care home death suspended
- Lac du Bonnet woman killed in highway crash
- Manitoba man dies after falling off moving SUV

