On Human Rights Day, December 10th, a group of about 35 supporters ended an eight-month long postcard campaign with a rally and march to the Manitoba Legislative building.
Guests who spoke to our calls to action at the event included Rita Monias and Jackson Osborne from Pimickimak Cree nation, who have experienced hydro impacts in their community, spoke about their lives before hydro development. Dougald Lamont, the Liberal Party leader of Manitoba, and NDP MLA for Wolseley, Rob Altemyer, responded to our calls to action, letting us know that our voices are being heard and that these issues should no longer be swept under the rug.
The event brought together people from all areas and backgrounds who came to deliver the postcards and support hydro-impacted communities.
The postcard campaign was launched in March 2018 on World Water Day event. The postcards list actions for responsible operations and relationships with Indigenous communities.
Manitoba Hydro’s dams reliably power every aspect of our daily lives, from lights to phones to life-saving medical equipment. These dams also drastically alter Manitoba’s five largest rivers. These rivers are wounded, as are the Indigenous communities on their shores
It is Time to Make Manitoba Hydro Accountable
In a spirit of healing, reconciliation, and fair sharing of benefits, we are calling on the Manitoba Government to:
- Share water rental payments received from Hydro with impacted communities.
- Commission an independent, credible body to conduct an operational review of Manitoba Hydro.
- Stop allowing Manitoba Hydro to deviate from its originally approved Churchill River Diversion Licence.
- Seriously review options to alter operations and reduce impacts before granting final licences and licence renewals.
The postcards represent a way forward for future relations between Manitoba Hydro and hydro-impacted communities. We hope that the campaign compels the government to provide support for communities affected by hydro development and hold Manitoba Hydro accountable for their past, present, and future actions.
A huge thank you to every person who signed a postcard or our online petition, your support goes a long way.
If you still have postcards, it’s not too late. Put a stamp on those postcards and remind the government that we need a responsible public utility.
To read more about the event, see below:
- https://winnipegsun.com/news/news-news/group-rallies-for-indigenous-communities-affected-by-hydro
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/manitoba-hydro-human-rights-day-rally-1.4940281
- https://aptnnews.ca/2018/12/11/people-march-on-manitoba-legislature-demanding-changes-on-how-manitoba-hydro-does-business/\
- https://www.dropbox.com/s/9x6fxd6ypevqty6/2018%20postcard%20rally.mp4?dl=0
