WASKAGANISH COMMUNITY VOICES ON THE FUTURE OF THE MARINE REGION
A conversation with Waskaganish community members on what they value, the issues they face, and their vision for the future of the Eeyou Marine Region
Compiled by the Eeyou Marine Region Planning Commission February 2019
EEYOU MARINE REGION
The Crees of Eeyou Istchee have occupied and cared for the coastal regions identified in the Eeyou Marine Region Land Claim Agreement (EMRLCA) for millennia. The EMRLCA is a result of several decades of on and off negotiations between the Crees and Canada which began in the 1970s.
These negotiations resulted in the EMRLCA (a modern treaty) which came into effect on February 15, 2012. The EMRLCA covers approximately 61 270 square kilometers of James Bay and south eastern Hudson Bay off the coast of Quebec.
LAND USE PLANNING
Land use planning in the Eeyou Marine Region aims to protect and promote the existing and future well-being of the people of Eeyou Istchee. For this, we needed sit down with people of the coastal Cree communities including representatives of local government, youth, elders, women, tallymen and land users to hear from them:
• what is important to them about the marine area, • what issues they are facing, and • what is their vision of the future of the marine region?
These conversations will help define the goals for land use planning in the Eeyou Marine Region and are described in this report.
The Eeyou Marine Region Planning Commission will continue this conversation with Waskaganish through several activities in the community in the coming months and years, before a plan is tabled for consideration and approval. 82°0'0"W 80°0'0"W 78°0'0"W 76°0'0"W
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N22 THE EEYOU MARINE REGION PLANNING COMMISSION (EMRPC)
The Eeyou Marine Region Planning Commission (EMRPC)
The EMRPC is an independent body created out of the EMRLCA. The EMRPC is responsible for developing a land use plan to guide development and conservation in the Eeyou Marine Region. The EMRPC is made up of two commissioners nominated by the Grand Council of the Crees, one nominated by the government of Canada, and one nominated by the government of Nunavut. The commission also includes a chairperson selected by the other commissioners.
At the time of the consultations, the EMRPC included:
• Chairperson: Tina Petawabano • Cree Nominee: Chantal Otter Tetreault • Cree Nominee: Chris Beck • Canada Nominee: Lorne McNeice • Nunavut Nominee: David Alagalak
The EMRPC works closely with the Eeyou Planning Commission formed out of the 2012 Cree-Quebec Governance Agreement. The EPC includes Commissioners from each of the Cree communities and is chaired by the Cree Nation Government.
The EPC commissioner for Waskaganish is:
• Barbara Hester WHAT DO WASKAGANISH CREES VALUE MOST ABOUT THE MARINE REGION? VALUES
EVERYTHING IS VALUABLE “I value the area itself, the environment, the water, the animals, waterfowl, beluga, moose, caribou, polar bear, fish.”
CREE WAY OF LIFE “I value the traditional way of life, hunting, fishing, and trapping. There are many families using the islands for goose hunting and fishing and Charlton Island is used for trapping.”
HISTORIC AND CULTURAL VALUE “The islands were very useful to the Cree people. The area has important cultural value because of all the traditional activities we practice out there. The first Hudson Bay post started out there in the 1600. This was the first contact with Europeans for the Cree people.”
CHARLTON ISLAND “We were told my grandfather was given Charlton Island to take care of, because they needed someone to take care of it. There is a lot we value and hope to pass down to our grandchildren from that island.”
WATER “The water is very important to us. We depend on observing the tide and the movement of the water to know when we can go out in the bay. I also value the spring water from the islands.”
CREE KNOWLEDGE… “We were very mobile back in the days. And we didn’t have much, not even milk. But we knew when to start with our hunting and trapping. We knew when and where the fish would be. We knew the migration periods. Many things came along with the hunting and trapping. Family gatherings were also a part of the precious memories.”
AND TEACHINGS “There was an old saying: if you respect what you killed you will be blessed with more in the future.” WHAT ARE THE ISSUES THAT WASKAGANISH CREES ARE FACING IN THE MARINE REGION? ISSUES
CHANGES TO WATER LEVELS “It is very different from the past. The water level and tides are very low presently. We used to have very high tides. All of this is coming from hydro. It is also difficult to travel in these low water tides. If you think about how things are impacting us, you will never understand even if you really want to.”
THE LAND IS GROWING “Rocks are visible out in the bay since the diversion. When the tide goes out, about 20 feet of dry land is shown. It was never like that before. The water levels are much lower since the diversions.”
CHANGES TO THE TASTE OF FISH AND WILDLIFE “The health of the fish, they are not fully developed and the taste is different even fish up the river and the sturgeon. Us elders, we used a lot of this in the past. Almost all the things we ate are entirely different in taste now, including fish, rabbit, and wild game. And this not only comes from me, all elders know this for a fact.”
CHANGES TO FISH AND FISHING “Since the diversion, fishing is much harder. Vegetation comes up along the shore then gets caught in the fish nets and less fish are caught. The long grass floats or even breaks and goes to the net. Not a lot of fish can be caught with these grasses in the way.” ISSUES
CHANGES TO BIRD POPULATIONS “Geese and ducks don’t come around now. The birds are flying much earlier in the fall. They used to fly in October, now it’s September. Geese used to stay and eat at one spot but now these lands are occupied by camps with cabins.”
NEW BIRDS IN THE AREA
“You see eagles more often than usual nowadays, they scare off the birds and also disturb our harvesting during goose breaks.”
POLAR BEAR AND CLIMATE CHANGE “Because of the changes to the ice, polar bears have started coming onto Charlton Island and other islands. It’s not safe to leave my wife alone at the camp.”
NAVIGATION CHALLENGES “Things are piling up along the shoreline. Fully grown trees float away to the bay which is difficult for boat navigators. Things are very different. People need to watch out for the current because it’s fast. The high tide comes in late now. It is unsafe to travel at high tides.” ISSUES
NAVIGATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE “Because of climate change, the ice isn’t as hard as it once was. Travel is now an issue because the main route on the bay has changed through the years and is more shallow now.”
SAFETY CONCERNS “The young don’t know the ways to hunt in different weather conditions. In the Cabbage Willows area, there have been major issues for young people. They tend to go to these areas with little knowledge. Some have been stranded due to weather changes. You can see quick vegetation growing and channels closing up, travel is riskier now.”
CHANGES TO CREE WAY OF LIFE “It is hard to control the younger generation, everything is changing and it’s hard to reverse it back to the way it was. Young generations are not properly trained for traditional land use. The things we value may be lost if we don’t follow the guidelines we used to.” WHAT IS THE VISION THAT WASKAGANISH CREES HAVE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE MARINE REGION? VISION
UNTOUCHED LANDS AND WATERS “For me, it’s best not to disturb the marine area, to just leave it as natural as it is. To not to disturb the fish and other things that we rely on.”
MONITORING AND ENFORCEMENT “We need a plan to better protect the marine area, with resolutions and reinforcements.”
PROTECT THE WATER… “We should make sure to protect the bodies of water on the islands.”
FISH… “I want to see protection of aquatic life and zoning to protect important fishing sites and spawning areas.”
AND WILDLIFE “I would like to see marine protected areas and protection of the wildlife such as whales and waterfowl.”
HERITAGE SITES “I would like to see mapping of cultural and historic sites and the creation of heritage protected areas.”
PROTECT AREAS TO MAINTAIN CREE WAY OF LIFE “I want to see the beautiful water and bay being taken care of. It is so important for our children to continue the traditional cultural ways in order for us to preserve the food and game we’ve been eating for hundreds and hundreds of years. Who are we if we don’t have the clean waters and lands?” VISION
WATERFOWL HABITAT ENHANCEMENT “You need to protect the feeding grounds, and cultivate the area. We want our geese to have a proper meal. Perhaps we could develop enhancement projects for waterfowl feeding grounds.”
RESTRICT FISHING DERBIES “The fishing derbies, there are countless being held throughout the Cree Nation. What about the fish being affected in these kinds of tournaments? We are losing our Cree practice of sharing through these kinds of approaches by focusing on sales and winnings.”
RESTRICT ACCESS AND DEVELOPMENT “I don’t want to see any mining, pipelines, cables, or underwater disposal.”
CREE CABINS “I want Cree cabins only to be built and maintained on the islands.”
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT “We need to think about how we see creating employment. Our ancestors and grandfathers, have helped big companies, such as the Hudson Bay Company and tourism outfitting camps. The challenge we face is how to keep our youth and make sure there is employment for them here once they complete their studies.”
CREATING A BALANCE “We need to support our local economy by balancing and maintaining our Cree values and traditional ways and practices.” VISION
TOURISM “I would like to see tourism for things like bird watching. I’m not sure what it would look like but, perhaps we could consider a cruise ship coming into the area for tourism. But training should always include the input of the tallymen so they can receive proper advice for safety.”
PRESERVE AND PASS DOWN THE CREE WAY OF LIFE “There should be more training or workshops for traditional knowledge of the water (tides, channels, etc.). We need to train youngsters on navigation and how to live off the land. It would be good to see camps to take youth out to maintain our traditional activities.”
CREE LANGUAGE “Cree language is important to preserve. We need to recognize Cree knowledge and names for these islands and shoals. Younger people don’t know what the islands are called or used for.”
MAP SAFE TRAVEL ROUTES “We need to map out travel routes and mark out water levels, shoals, and channels. The history of routes should also be documented.”
SAFETY CABINS “I would like to see shelters out there for people to use during emergencies and maps to identify shore camps and shelters.”
SAFETY PATROLS “I would like to see a control centre to monitor users for their safety. A check-out and check-in type of thing upon departure and arrival.”
For more information on the Eeyou Marine Region Planning Commission please see:
https://www.eeyoumarineregion.ca/
You can contact the Eeyou Marine Region head office at:
819-895-2202
P.O. Box 580 4 Chief Isaiah Salt Road Waskaganish, Quebec, J0M 1R0