A proposed multimillion-dollar upgrade to Ontario Power Generation’s Kakabeka Falls generating station is being planned without Fort William First Nation’s input, recalling an outdated and painful era that left Indigenous people being “bulldozed,” the community warned on Friday.
“The existing hydroelectric facility was originally developed over 120 years ago without consultation with the Nation, and resulted in flooding, changes to waterways, and irreparable damages to Fort William First Nation’s cultural heritage and ways of life,” the community said in a news release.
Work on the 118-year-old station is anticipated to begin next year. The project is expected to take two years, bumping up the power station’s output by 13 per cent to 27 megawatts.
Once the upgrade is complete, the station — which is capable of powering the equivalent of 25,000 homes — will be set to operate for another 90 years, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) said in an earlier backgrounder.
Fort William First Nation Chief Michele Solomon claimed “OPG has failed to engage respectfully with (the community), and is not willing to listen to our community’s concerns or input.”
“Instead,” Solomon continued, “OPG continues to push ahead with construction planning without any consideration for our cultural values and traditional land uses.”
She added: “The era of industry bulldozing through First Nation lands is over.”
In a brief statement on Friday afternoon, an OPG spokesman said the company “is engaged in ongoing discussion with Fort William First Nation.”
“We continue to engage respectfully as we prepare to redevelop the Kakabeka Falls Generating Station,” the statement added.
Ontario Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford (Kenora-Rainy River) didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
In its news release, Fort William First Nation said “there is already a registered burial site on the (hydro station) property, and (the community) believes there is the potential for more archaeological finds and deeply-buried artifacts.”
Said Solomon: “We don’t want a repeat of what happened with Parks Canada in Nipigon (this spring), where a flawed process led to the unearthing of 600-year-old Indigenous ancestral remains.”
Parks Canada has since said it would look for another location for its proposed $37-million Lake Superior Marine Conservation Area headquarters, in the wake of Red Rock Indian Band raising concerns about “gross negligence and indignity (committed) to our ancestors.”
“Had someone been there who is trained to watch for remains, we very likely would have our ancestors intact instead of taking part in this morbid scavenger hunt where we are searching through loads and loads of earth,” Red Rock Indian Band Chief Allan Odawa Jr. said last month.
“We need to see major legislative changes that provide us the rights to protect our ancestors, regardless of who currently occupies the land,” Odawa Jr. added.
