Hydroelectric Development in Northern Manitoba a History of the Development of the Churchill, Burntwood and Nelson Rivers, 1960–2015
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Hydroelectric Development in Northern Manitoba A History of the Development of the Churchill, Burntwood and Nelson Rivers, 1960–2015 Prepared By This report is submitted by Know History Inc. to the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission, 305-155 Carlton St., Winnipeg, MB, R3C 3H8, Canada. © Know History Inc. 2016 The information presented here is the work of independent consultants and in no way represents the opinions or findings of the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission. Any inquiries about the contents of this report should be directed to: Ryan Shackleton, Know History Inc., 10 Blackburn Ave., Suite A, Ottawa, ON, K1N 8A3, Canada (www.knowhistory.ca). This report (including any enclosures and attachments) has been prepared for the exclusive use and benefit of the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission and solely for the purpose for which it is provided. Unless Know History Inc. provides express prior written consent, no part of this report should be reproduced except by the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission. Cover credits, clockwise starting in top left corner: “Signing an agreement on Nelson River: Gordon Churchill, Duff Roblin, Walter Dinsdale and Sterling Lyon,” University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, Winnipeg Tribune fonds, PC18/4436/18-4436-015; “Gillam, Kettle Rapids, Long Spruce,” March 10, 1975, University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, Winnipeg Tribune/Dobooy, PC 89-553-003neg; “Mrs. Moose stands with her two grandchildren outside their prefabricated dream home in South Indian Lake,” December 3, 1980, University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, Winnipeg Tribune fonds/Peter Levick, PC18/4340/18-3559- 005; “Dr. JL Gray, Leonard Bateman, and Premier Ed Schreyer at the opening of the Long Spruce Nelson River power plant,” June 16, 1973, University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, Winnipeg Tribune fonds/Jeff Debooy, PC18/4436/18-4436-028; “Signing Churchill River diversion for Indian Lands and Money, Warren Allmand & Thomas Beardy Chief York Landing,” University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, Winnipeg Tribune fonds, PC 18 (A81-12); “Pisew Falls – south of Thompson,” May 7, 1975, University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, Winnipeg Tribune fonds, PC18/4340/18-3559-001; “Kelsey Generating Station on the Nelson River,” University of Winnipeg Archives: WCPI 43474; “Whaling – Churchill River,” July 26, 1969, University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, Winnipeg Tribune fonds, PC18/7067/18-6131-071. Hydroelectric Development in Northern Manitoba Page | 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................................5 PART 1: DEVELOPMENT .................................................................................................................6 NORTHERN MANITOBA ............................................................................................................................... 7 Geography ............................................................................................................................................................................. 7 People and History ............................................................................................................................................................... 8 The Need for Hydroelectricity ............................................................................................................................................. 9 Northern Development ...................................................................................................................................................... 10 Amalgamation of Hydro Companies ................................................................................................................................ 12 Mining and Hydroelectricity .............................................................................................................................................. 13 PLANNING FOR NELSON RIVER DEVELOPMENT .......................................................................................... 14 Nelson River Programming Board .................................................................................................................................... 15 The High-Level Diversion ................................................................................................................................................... 18 Opposition to the Licence .................................................................................................................................................. 22 A Change of Government .................................................................................................................................................. 23 The Province Denies the Licence....................................................................................................................................... 24 New Management, New Diversion ................................................................................................................................... 25 Long Spruce and Limestone Generating Stations, 1972–1978 ...................................................................................... 26 Lake Winnipeg Regulation or Churchill River Diversion? ............................................................................................... 26 LAKE WINNIPEG REGULATION ................................................................................................................... 27 CHURCHILL RIVER DIVERSION .................................................................................................................... 28 1972–1973: The Licence is Granted and Construction Begins ....................................................................................... 29 Opposition to the Project .................................................................................................................................................. 31 THE NORTHERN FLOOD COMMITTEE ......................................................................................................... 32 THE TRITSCHLER COMMISSION OF INQUIRY, 1977–1979 .......................................................................... 35 PART 2: IMPACTS, PROGRAMS AND COMPENSATION ........................................................... 37 IMPACTS AND AGREEMENTS: THE NORTHERN FLOOD AGREEMENT ............................................................ 38 Implementation of the Northern Flood Agreement ....................................................................................................... 41 Supplemental Agreements with NFA Communities ....................................................................................................... 43 IMPACTS AND AGREEMENTS: NON-NFA COMMUNITIES ............................................................................ 45 MANITOBA HYDRO PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL IMPACTS ............ 52 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................ 55 ENDNOTES .................................................................................................................................... 56 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................. 74 Hydroelectric Development in Northern Manitoba Page | 3 Hydroelectric Development in Northern Manitoba Page | 4 INTRODUCTION When hydroelectric power was introduced to North Americans in the late 19th century, it marked the beginning of a rapid increase in the demand for electricity by industries and the public. By 1910, hydroelectric sites across Canada were harnessing the power of rushing water to spin turbines and rotate generators to create electricity. Between 1920 and 1950, more than 90% of the country’s total generating capacity came from hydroelectric stations.1 In Manitoba, hydroelectric development took off in the late 1950s. The province’s distinctive system of lakes and rivers2 had long played an integral role in its growth; these routes were used by Indigenous peoples, European explorers, fur traders and settlers alike for travel and sustenance. Water took on a new significance, however, when the provincial government began to explore the hydroelectric potential of the Churchill, Burntwood and Nelson River systems. The Churchill River flows through Manitoba, dropping in elevation just below Southern Indian Lake by more than 240 metres, and then flows out to Hudson Bay.3 In the early 1960s, the province realized that by diverting the mighty Churchill, via the Rat and Burntwood Rivers, into the Nelson River, and using the increased flow for generating stations along the Lower Nelson, the hydroelectric power generated would fulfill much of Southern Manitoba’s electricity needs. In 1966, Manitoba and the federal government entered an agreement to construct a series of massive projects that included the Churchill River Diversion, Lake Winnipeg Regulation and generating stations along the Lower Nelson River. What neither the provincial nor federal governments understood at the time was the impact that these projects would have on the surrounding environment and the people who called northern Manitoba home. Communities across the north felt the effects of hydroelectric