[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

DAM-L Churches sending cash to Cross Lake, Free Press June 29 (fwd)



----- Forwarded message from William_J_Braun@mennonitecc.ca -----

Return-path: <William_J_Braun@mennonitecc.ca>
Received: from mta1.ivideon.com (mta1.ivideon.com [64.59.128.201])
	by lox.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca (8.8.7/8.8.8) with ESMTP id OAA01788
	for <dianne@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca>; Fri, 29 Jun 2001 14:26:46 -0400 (EDT)
From: William_J_Braun@mennonitecc.ca
Received: from mennonitecc.ca ([207.161.225.53]) by mta1.ivideon.com
	         with SMTP id <20010629182638.PPQM8947.mta1@mennonitecc.ca>
	         for <dianne@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca>;
	         Fri, 29 Jun 2001 13:26:38 -0500
Received: by mennonitecc.ca(Lotus SMTP MTA v4.6.5  (863.2 5-20-1999))  id 86256A7A.006564DB ; Fri, 29 Jun 2001 13:27:29 -0500
X-Lotus-FromDomain: MCC
To: William_J_Braun@mennonitecc.ca
Message-ID: <86256A7A.006563C8.00@mennonitecc.ca>
Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 13:27:26 -0500
Subject: Churches sending cash to Cross Lake, Free Press June 29
Content-Disposition: inline

To:       William J Braun/Winnipeg/MCC
From:  wjb@mennonitecc.ca
Date:  6/29/2001  1:17:28 PM
Subj:   Churches sending cash to Cross Lake, Free Press June 29

Churches sending cash to Cross Lake

Winnipeg Free Press, June 29, 2001
By Kevin Rollason

JACK McLachlan is one Winnipegger who doesn't mind paying 10 per cent
more on his electricity bill.

McLachlan has begun donating the equivalent of 10 per cent of his
annual Manitoba Hydro bill to help the Pimicikamak Cree Nation at
Cross Lake pay for the environmental and human costs the band claims
it has suffered from hydro development.

"I think it's the least we can do to correct the wrong,'' McLachlan
said yesterday.

"Our church has been doing it since it started two years ago. This
year we're doing it, too.''

McLachlan is among seven churches and 64 households who joined the
Mennonite Central Committee's True Cost Campaign.

The Cree in Cross Lake object to more hydro development in their
territory and are still fighting for implementation of a compensation
agreement signed in 1977. Other Cree bands are working with Manitoba
Hydro on joint projects.

Kenny Miswaggon, a PCN spokesman, said he welcomes the campaign to
raise both awareness of the issue and money for the band.

"Power rates in Manitoba are the cheapest in North America, but the
cost for us is anything but cheap, Miswaggon said.

"For PCN, the cost of hydro production is the beauty of our land, the
vitality of our economy, the social health of our people and in some
cases, the very lives of friends and family killed in project-related
accidents."

Ken Reddig, MCC Manitoba executive director, said that's why the MCC
has been paying the money to the First Nation for the last two years.

"Every time we flick a switch or power up a computer, we are
benefiting from the destruction that hydro development has caused to
PCN lands," Reddig said.

Reddig says for the MCC it means they pay about $150 per month to
PCN, based on their $1,500 hydro bill at their office on Plaza Drive
in Fort Garry.

Lisa Martens, MCC's energy justice coordinator, said it's estimated
the band will receive about $5,000 this year from the campaign.

But Manitoba Hydro spokesman Glenn Schneider said hydro customers
should think before they support the MCC's campaign.

Schneider said the money could be used to fund the band's public
relations effort aimed at discouraging American power companies from
purchasing hydro from Manitoba Hydro.

"Cross Lake has a means of dealing with their issues here. If they
think we're being unfair, they can go to the NFA (Northern Flood
Agreement) arbitrator, but they choose not to.''


----- End of forwarded message from William_J_Braun@mennonitecc.ca -----