Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

First Nations Bring Contaminated Fish To Legislature To Protest Site C Project

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 12 May, 2015 12:36 PM
    VICTORIA — West Moberly First Nations Chief Roland Willson held up a frozen bull trout Monday and said the large fish is contaminated with mercury.
     
    "Typically, you'd be proud of this fish," he said. "But we can't eat this."
     
    Willson and members of the McLeod Lake Indian Band, located in northeastern British Columbia, arrived at the legislature in Victoria with more than 90 kilograms of bull trout packed in two coolers.
     
    The fish were there to illustrate a recent study by the band that concluded 98 per cent of their fish samples contain mercury levels above provincial guidelines. The study examined 57 fish taken from the Crooked River, where fish migrate from the Williston Lake reservoir.
     
    Willson said the contaminated bull trout are connected to that reservoir, which was created as part of the 1960s-era W.A.C. Bennett Dam.
     
    He warned similar contamination could result from the proposed $9-billion Site C hydroelectric dam and 83-kilometre-long reservoir in the Peace River Valley near Fort St. John.
     
    "Everybody's shocked," said Willson. "It shouldn't just be the First Nations who are shocked," he said. "This is an issue for everybody. The general public. Anybody who's eaten fish up there or out of that system, they need to be worried about what they are doing."
     
    The province's ministers of environment and energy and mines said they were not aware of mercury tests or studies associated with the W.A.C. Bennett Dam or the Williston reservoir, but fish and water from the Site C reservoir will undergo rigorous and regular testing.
     
    "It's important to note that this is a very different situation than what we find with Site C," said Environment Minister Mary Polak.
     
    Willson was blunt about his opposition to Site C, which the government approved last year.
     
    "It's a mistake. It's a stupid idea," he said.
     
    Willson said the West Moberly support other methods of generating electricity in the northeast, including geothermal power and natural gas-powered energy.
     
    The Site C dam, which through its reservoir would flood agricultural land, would annually produce 1,100 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 450,000 homes.
     
    Willson said the Williston Lake reservoir created the mercury pollution with the release of toxins from decaying trees and other materials in the flooded lands.
     
    He said area First Nations are preparing to embark on a human study to determine if people have high levels of mercury.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Quesnel Lake Future Still Cloudy After Mount Polley Mine Disaster: Report

    Quesnel Lake Future Still Cloudy After Mount Polley Mine Disaster: Report
    VICTORIA — A report assessing the fallout from the Mount Polley tailings-pond breach in B.C.'s Cariboo region says Quesnel Lake in appears to have survived a major pollution disaster.

    Quesnel Lake Future Still Cloudy After Mount Polley Mine Disaster: Report

    Bank Of Canada Proposes Tweaks To Shield System From Future Financial Crises

    Bank Of Canada Proposes Tweaks To Shield System From Future Financial Crises
    OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada is calling for a series of tweaks it says would help shore up the country's financial system from future periods of stress.

    Bank Of Canada Proposes Tweaks To Shield System From Future Financial Crises

    More Than 600 Victims In Alleged Immigration Fraud Scheme Run By Toronto Woman

    More Than 600 Victims In Alleged Immigration Fraud Scheme Run By Toronto Woman
    TORONTO — More than 600 people around the world fell victim to an alleged immigration fraud scheme run by a Toronto woman, who now faces 73 charges in an expanding investigation.

    More Than 600 Victims In Alleged Immigration Fraud Scheme Run By Toronto Woman

    RCMP Say One Dead After B.C. Semi Rollover That Nearly Ignited Forest Fire

    RCMP Say One Dead After B.C. Semi Rollover That Nearly Ignited Forest Fire
    PEMBERTON, B.C. — Mounties say one person is dead after a fiery semi truck crash north of Pemberton, B.C.

    RCMP Say One Dead After B.C. Semi Rollover That Nearly Ignited Forest Fire

    PMO Removes Videos From Online Site That May Show Soldiers' Faces

    PMO Removes Videos From Online Site That May Show Soldiers' Faces
    EINDHOVEN, Netherlands — A series of videos distributed by the Prime Minister's Office, some of which may show the faces of Canada's special forces soldiers, were abruptly pulled offline early Tuesday.

    PMO Removes Videos From Online Site That May Show Soldiers' Faces

    Canadian Tourists Warned To Limit Movements, Remain Vigilant In Mexico

    Canadian Tourists Warned To Limit Movements, Remain Vigilant In Mexico
    TORONTO — Canada's embassy In Mexico has issued a warning to tourists following a wave of recent attacks by a drug cartel in the western state of Jalisco.

    Canadian Tourists Warned To Limit Movements, Remain Vigilant In Mexico