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dam-l Moisie diversions again
Friends,
Greetings again. A week ago I sent you the news that André Caillé
had visited Sept-Iles and had appeared to back away from the
diversions of the Carheil and Aux Pékans rivers, the two affluents
of the Moisie. That was the good news. Now the bad news.
André Caillé was interviewd a few days later, and he has not
changed his views at all. His delay is NOT based on any new
concern for the environment or for legality or for democracy.
It is simply a tactic to gain time so that he can purchase
local support via "partnerships", i.e. local parastatal bodies
owned by municipalities, county administrations, or native
band councils. These bodies would be able to borrow some money,
"co-invest" with Hydro-Québec in the diversion/destruction of
their own local rivers, and then receive a revenue share
indefinitely.
There is much, much more in the excellent article/interview by
Louis-Gilles Francoeur in yesterday's _Le Devoir_. Especially
revealing is Caillé's willingness to be cynical and calculating.
Clearly he is willing to respect other persons, the law, and the
environment only when he sees some advantage in it for his dream
of growth and power.
Hopefully the text of this interview, and possibly an English
translation to accompany it, will be available in a few days and
can be circulated as a follow-up to this warning message.
>But in the meantime it may be possible for us to breathe
>a little easier ...
Well, now I don't think so. Not only has André Caillé revealed
his true colours again, but so have the federal and provincial
environment ministries. Although Québec did not formally sign the
recent agreement handing over all federal environmental enforcement
to the provinces, our understanding is that there is a well-recognised
informal agreement that this will be the case in Québec as well.
Worse, this informal agreement will probably extend to federal
envionmental ASSESSMENT also, meaning that Ottawa will try to ignore
the provisions of its own Fisheries and Oceans laws (requiring it
to initiate and participate in environmental impact assessments
whenever there is the possibility of a harm to fish habitat).
Which means, for us, precisely, that it is possible that Québec
and Hydro-Québec may try to claim once again that the Moisie
river diversions have already been assessed, and this time the
federal government may acquiesce rather than protest. Based on
previous court rulings, our side would win a legal challenge to
this cop-out, but we all know that we have to be fast and relatively
well-funded to go that route.
Better for us if we can do it, is to win a political victory --
that these diversions are simply unacceptable no matter how many
dollars might flow to the affected human inhabitants.
Those of you in the habit of writing to André Caillé and Guy
Chevrette might wish to do so again as soon as the text of
the interview by Francoeur becomes available. And for everyone,
pressure on the federal government of Canada as soon their
new arrangement with Québec is exposed.
And for all of us -- back to week-by-week vigilance!! Even
though construction cannot happen this year, the needed legal
waivers could happen this year, paving the way for construction
later. We cannot let them sneak anything past us, and that is
more and more clearly their strategy.
Yours fraternally,
Tom Holzinger
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Tom Holzinger tél/fax 514-271-0564
5160 Jeanne-Mance e-mail energie@netaxis.qc.ca
Montréal H2V 4K1 personal t.holzinger@netaxis.qc.ca
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