Alberta
Hydro-Québec takes partnerships, environmental measures and sharing of wealth to new levels
The Canadian Energy Compendium is an annual Energy Council of Canada initiative which provides opportunity for cross-sectoral collaboration on a topic of shared interest across the Canadian energy sector, produced with the support of Canada’s national energy associations and Energy Council of Canada’s members. The stories contributed to the 2019 edition, Indigenous Energy Across Canada, highlight current conversations celebrating Canada’s dynamic energy sector and encouraging its continuous improvement.
Thanks to Todayville for helping us bring our members’ stories of collaboration and innovation to the public.
Click to read a Foreward from JP Gladu, Chief Development and Relations Officer, Steel River Group; Former President & CEO, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business
JP Gladu, Chief Development and Relations Officer, Steel
River Group; Former President & CEO, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business
THE THIRD PHASE OF JAMES BAY DEVELOPMENT: TAKING PARTNERSHIPS, ENVIRONMENTAL MEASURES AND SHARING OF WEALTH TO NEW LEVELS
This article, submitted by Hydro-Québec, will focus on the development of the third phase of the James Bay complex, namely the generating stations namely the Eastmain-1 and Eastmain-1A/Sarcelle/Rupert project. Emphasis will be placed on the development of a new relationship with the Cree that led to an improved project development model.
The Eastmain Complex, the most recent of the James Bay hydroelectric development: Taking partnerships, environmental measures and sharing of wealth to new levels.
When the initial phases of hydropower development in the Baie-James region of Québec was launched in the 1970s, there was no law on the environment, no environmental ministries and no environmental impact assessment process. So consulting affected communities wasn’t on anyone’s agenda and wasn’t yet part of Hydro-Québec’s approach. In the new millennium, with a new phase of development in this region, close-knit partnerships with the Cree Nation have become the cornerstone of project development throughout Québec.
Nadoshtin and Boumhounan agreements paved the way to new developments in Baie-James in the 2000s
The Nadoshtin agreement (2002) between the Crees and Hydro-Québec opened up the possibility of building and operating the Eastmain-1 hydropower project, while the Boumhounan agreement (2002) provided a framework for the Eastmain 1- A/Sarcelle/Rupert project. The key to success for the Eastmain projects was partially diverting the Rupert River’s flow northward.
But Hydro-Québec’s commercial interest in this new project had to be balanced by clear and extensive measures to preserve the surrounding environment and respect host Cree Nation and Cree communities.
In the framework of the Eastmain-1 project, Hydro-Québec made a number of commitments with a view to
- reduce the project’s impacts on the environment
- protect the Cree way of life and encourage partnerships with the Cree communities
- encourage the awarding of contracts to Cree businesses
- promote the training and hiring of Cree workers.
- built local capacity
“…The company wanted to do more than minimize environmental impact; Hydro-Québec wanted community members to see positive gains from the Eastmain developments…”
From the design stage, which was carried out in concert with the Cree, the Eastmain 1-A/Sarcelle/Rupert project incorporated many environmental protection measures, reflecting the Cree traditional knowledge of the community members they consulted. The Cree of Québec were involved in all stages of the project, ensuring they had a voice in how their land would be impacted.
Photo courtesy Hydro-Québec. Yellow sturgeon are raised in a fish hatchery and released into their natural habitat in mid-September, when they have reached a certain maturity. Cree tallymen assist in releasing the fish into the Rupert River in the Baie-James region.
With input from Cree community members, Hydro-Québec devised a combination of dikes and canals to improve water flow, ensuring that the project, which diverts 71% of the river’s flow, flooded only a minimal land area. They also incorporated a substantial ecological in-stream flow and a series of weirs in the river to protect fish habitats, biological diversity, preserve the landscape, and maintain navigation and other activities in the area.
Furthermore, Hydro-Québec signed an unprecedented water management agreement with the Cree to ensure that the modulation of the ecological in-stream flow was managed in a cooperative manner.
Economic spinoffs
In addition to helping preserve the local environment, Hydro-Québec was committed to bringing growth opportunities to the Cree of Québec. The company wanted to do more than minimize environmental impact; Hydro-Québec wanted community members to see positive gains from the Eastmain developments.
Under the Boumhounan Agreement, an extensive participation program built around information and consultation with Cree stakeholders was put in place. It also made funds available for the Cree to finance fisheries, capacity building and traditional activities projects.
When the Eastmain 1A/Rupert diversion project was completed in 2013, the Cree and Hydro-Québec signed the Reappropriation Agreement, giving Cree land users the necessary support to maintain their traditional activities as long as the Rupert River diversion is in operation.
Post-project consultations: ensuring that measures were effective
The COMEX, a joint committee composed of 3 members appointed by the Government Quebec and 2 members appointed by the Cree Nation government, organized consultations with Cree communities to hear their views on the effectiveness of environmental and social mitigation measures put in place for the Eastmain 1A/Rupert diversion project. Approximately 200 members of the Cree Nation from six communities participated in the consultations organized in November 2012.
Photo courtesy Hydro-Québec. Between 2002 and 2005, prior to the impoundment of the Eastmain-1 reservoir, 50 archeologists and Cree workers undertook archeological digs. They discovered 158 sites and their work shows that the Baie-James territory has been occupied by these populations for the last 5,000 years.
The major findings of the COMEX were as follows:
- […]”the Committee is convinced that the Eastmain-1-A and Sarcelle Powerhouses and Rupert Diversion Project will have contributed to greater understanding between all the parties concerned, to greater Cree involvement in the development of the territory, and perhaps to empowering them to achieve their long- term economic and community development goals.”
- “Compared to previous projects carried out in the territory, the Eastmain-1- A/Sarcelle/Rupert project included more adequate and an unprecedented number of mitigation and compensation measures, for both environmental and social impacts. Many of these measures are aimed at helping Cree land users reclaim the territory. A new approach was developed and the Crees have benefited from the partnerships built with the proponent, thereby forging a new relationship.”
- “Hydro-Québec was proactive, exceeding the requirements of the certificate of authorization in an effort to minimize the project’s impacts and ensure greater Cree involvement in environmental and social follow-up activities.”
- “Hydro-Québec went to great lengths to ensure that Aboriginal communities derive benefit from the project.”
A new project development model
The Eastmain Complex – the most recent phase of development in Baie-James – added a potential energy output of 8.7 TWh per year, enough to power more than 500,000 Québec homes. The new relationships that Hydro-Québec and the Cree Nation developed over that period have become models for future energy resource development throughout Québec. With considerable untapped hydropower potential and a strong wind potential in Québec, Hydro-Québec’s new and improved project development model holds great promise for the future of clean energy in northeast North America.
Jacob Irving, President of Energy Council of Canada
The Canadian Energy Compendium is an annual initiative by the Energy Council of Canada to provide an opportunity for cross-sectoral collaboration and discussion on current topics in Canada’s energy sector. The 2020 Canadian Energy Compendium: Innovations in Energy Efficiency is due to be released November 2020.
Click to read comments about this series from Jacob Irving, President of the Energy Council of Canada.
Joint statement: Premier Smith, Minister Jean respond to Build Canada Now letter
Premier Danielle Smith and Minister of Energy and Minerals Brian Jean issued the following statement on industry group “Build Canada Now” calling on federal party leaders to call an energy crisis and prioritize energy projects:
“Alberta’s energy sector has long been the economic engine of Canada and has never been more critical to Canadian sovereignty and prosperity.
“During the last decade of Liberal-NDP government, multiple destructive energy policies have resulted in more than $280 billion dollars in projects being delayed, cancelled or shut in by the proponents. These are projects that would have created tens of thousands of jobs, generated hundreds of billions in government revenues, secured energy security for Eastern Canada and made our nation less dependent on the United States.
“Ottawa’s elected eco-extremists have done everything they can to keep our oil and gas in the ground – that has to change now.
“We wholeheartedly support the call by Canada’s energy business leaders to find a new way of getting major projects built. Over the last couple of months, we have seen the discussion around our oil and gas shifting across the country, and these industry leaders have captured this spirit perfectly in their letter to the federal party leaders.
“The world is desperately looking for predictable, affordable and accessible energy. Alberta has one of the largest oil and gas deposits on the planet, including by far the largest of any free and democratic nation. Our recently released study on Alberta’s oil and gas reserves found 1.36 quadrillion cubic feet of gas and 1.8 trillion barrels of oil, of which more than 130 trillion cubic feet of gas and 167 billion barrels of oil are recoverable with today’s technology.
“To leave this treasured resource in the ground would be an outright betrayal of current and future generations of Canadians. And yet, that has been the mantra of the Liberal-NDP government for the last decade.
“The new prime minister needs to call an election immediately so the next government can begin to undo the tremendous damage the previous federal government has done to this country, and most especially, to Alberta.”
Alberta
Constitutional lawyer spearheading separation from Ottawa urges Albertans to lobby Premier Smith for referendum
Jeffrey Rath
FREE ALBERTA NOW!
If one recalls their history, revolutions have started over the rallying cry of “no taxation without representation.”
The facts referred to below were provided by a, well educated, fellow Albertan who has culled these facts and statistics from available public records.
In Canada, of the 338 Members of Parliament, Alberta gets 34 MPs. If Alberta received the MP per population ratio of the Maritime provinces, it would get 63 MPs. If Alberta followed the formula for the “Province of Prince Edward Island” it would have 107 MPs.
Representation in the Senate is more fair to regions than the House of Commons, but Senators are not elected (as requested by western provinces), they are appointed by the Prime Minister and they serve until age 75 with no term limits. As the Liberals have formed government more often than Conservatives, the Senate is dominated by Liberals bent on hollowing out the economy of Alberta for the benefit of non-Albertans.
The makeup of the Supreme Court discriminates against Alberta; of 9 judges, Quebec and Ontario get 6. Alberta seldom receives fair settlements from the Supreme Court (all 4 western provinces get only 2 Justices)
Alberta sends $3 Billion annually more to Ottawa for the pension plan than it gets back in benefits.
In federal taxes, Alberta sends over $60 billion per year to Ottawa, and gets less than half of that back in “services”. These so called “services” include a Firearms Registry that exists only to strip Albertans of their rights to own personal property. Most so called “federal services” are seen by most Albertans as either being completely unnecessary or easily replaced by Alberta Government employees within current staffing levels.
Under the Equalization program Alberta has transferred at least $700 billion to Eastern Canada (2/3 to Quebec), and Quebec is guaranteed to receive $10 billion in payments per year regardless of Alberta’s fiscal status on an annual basis.
An interesting side note is regarding the Equalization program. Alberta, as a “have” province, gives Billions of dollars annually to “have not” provinces. In fact, Quebec and New Brunswick have huge natural gas reserves. Bureaucrats in those provinces decide it’s easier to receive welfare payments from Alberta than to develop and sell their own resources. The financial revenue is the same, but Equalization does not generate jobs. Residents of those provinces would benefit immensely from Alberta taking itself out of the present system.
Albertans are over taxed, over governed and over regulated by politicians that are clearly hostile to the interests of Alberta and the interests of the citizens of the soon to be independent Commonwealth of Alberta.
The day that Alberta leaves Canada Albertans will no longer be subject to Canadian Federal Income Tax, Carbon Tax, Excise Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Goods and Services Tax and all other Federal Levies and Tariffs including the dairy monopoly and price fixing scheme imposed by Ottawa on Alberta Farmers, Ranchers and Indigenous People. An Additional 60 BILLION a year in tax revenue will remain in Alberta kicking off economic growth in Alberta unseen in Alberta’s history. Alberta’s independence will create an independent Commonwealth with the highest GDP per capita of any country in the world. Albertans will be finally free from all of the debt and over taxation created by idiotic politicians from Quebec and Ontario who literally believe that punitive taxes on working Alberta families will change the weather.
Albertans will enjoy at LEAST a 30% jump in their standard of living and savings as a result of no longer having to support ungrateful, greedy politicians in Quebec, Ontario who take their marching orders from the self proclaimed “Laurentian Elite” and the World Economic Forum.
Every Albertan who cares about the prosperity of their family needs to write Premier Danielle Smith and request that she consult be with the Alberta Prosperity Project as to the form of the referendum question and set a referendum on independence PRIOR TO THE 15th of December of 2025.
Adult citizens of Alberta need to be allowed to vote THIS YEAR in a referendum to express their will as free, adult citizens as to whether they wish to continue to be misgoverned by politicians more beholden to foreign (non-Alberta) interests than they are to the interests of Alberta Families.
Jeffrey R.W. Rath B.A. (Hons.), LL.B. (Hons.)
Foothills, Alberta
March 17, 2025
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