Members of Tataskweyak Cree Nation (TCN) in Split Lake are blocking construction and Manitoba Hydro vehicles from passing through Split Lake on Provincial Road 280 near the site of the Keeyask Generating Station construction site to protest the deterioration of the highway and the Crown corporation's treatment of the First Nation.
"We have been left behind," said TCN Coun. Melanie Spence, one of the blockade organizers, in a press release. "Now that Hydro has our consent to build Keeyask, the company is treating us more like an obstacle than a partner."
The Keeyask Hydropower Limited Partnership (KHLP) officially broke ground July 16 on the 695-MW Keeyask Generating Station, located on the Nelson River about 30 kilometres west of Gillam and downstream from Split Lake, within the Split Lake Resource Management Area, about 180 kilometres northeast of Thompson.
The project, which will provide renewable hydroelectricity to meet future demand in Manitoba and in export markets, is a collaborative effort between Manitoba Hydro and four Manitoba First Nations - Tataskweyak Cree Nation, War Lake First Nation, York Factory First Nation, and Fox Lake Cree Nation - working together as the KHLP.
The blockade organizers said the partnership has been rocky and many community members are fed up. They says negotiations related to the Bipole III transmission line that passes through TCN territory "went sour" and that trucks started hauling heavy equipment on PR 280 toward Keeyask site, worsening the condition of the gravel road, which is the only surface route in and out of Split Lake.
Thompson MLA and Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Steve Ashton addressed these concerns in his MLA Report published in the Nickel Belt News on July 25.
"There have also been difficulties on one of our main highways, PR 280," Ashton wrote. "A combination of weather and the movement of very heavy truckloads have led to problems with the highway this summer.As someone who travels this highway on a regular basis I know how important it is to Split Lake, York Landing, Gillam, Fox Lake and War Lake. The highway has already been scheduled for $28 million of upgrades to be cost shared with Manitoba Hydro. Some of this work has been completed.Given the recent issues with the condition of the highway it is clear we need to accelerate and expand on this work."
The four TCN councillors, who include Chris Young, Nathan Neckoway and Mary Flett along with Spence, sent a letter to Ashton dated Aug. 9 outlining some of their concerns regarding the road and other issues, some related to Manitoba Hydro.
"In conclusion, Tataskweyak commencing August 11, 2014, will be putting up a blockade at the Split Lake junction on PR 280 and handing out information about our issues and concerns," read the letter's final paragraph. "If there is no immediate response by your government, on August 13, 2014, then two blockades will be setup, on each end of the reserve, the south and north PR 280 access. Only private vehicles will be permitted to travel through the reserve, Construction and hydro vehicles will not be permitted to travel through the reserve."
The blockaders are calling for the paving of PR 280; resolution of outstanding hydro-related damage claims from trappers and commercial fishers; good faith dealings by Hydro with respect to construction work contracts that were to be granted to TCN-owned companies, a better hiring process and better working conditions for TCN members at the Keeyask site; a solution to hydro bills that are much higher than the provincial average; a reasonable compensation package for a family who lived in the area where Keeyask is being built; and environmental mitigation measures related to existing hydro operations.
Manitoba Hydro's public affairs division manager Scott Powell said representatives of the Crown corporation had been in contact with some of the blockade organizers and that they were working with the other parties involved to resolve the situation and restore the normal flow of traffic as soon as possible. Powell said some of the concerns raised by the protesters are not specifically related to Manitoba Hydro.
"Some of them are Hydro-related," he said, but the power utility and the blockade organizers don't see eye-to-eye on whether confrontation or negotiation is the best path to resolving those issues. "We don't necessarily agree with their stance. We feel we have processes and agreements in place. We're actively dealing with some of the issues they've raised."
In addition to construction on the Keeyask Generating Station, the blockade could also impact other aspects of Manitoba Hydro's business, like customer service employees doing reconnections or hooking up new customers. There is also potential for greater impacts, he said, for example if maintenance needs to be done on Hydro's operations in Gillam and those workers can't pass through.
"There's potential for impact should it continue for a longer period of time," said Powell, noting that those impacts could be on other areas of the province as well as Northern Manitoba.
RCMP members are attending the blockade, said 'D' Division media relations officer Tara Seel Aug. 14, to ensure safety, protect property and prevent violence while respecting the blockade organizers' right to peaceful protest.
"As it stands right now, we're just there to ensure the safety of motorists," said Seel.
Ashton has not yet been available for an interview.
