Close X
Monday, November 25, 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

    Majority Of Canadians Lack Full Understanding Of Sexual Consent, Poll Finds

    Majority Of Canadians Lack Full Understanding Of Sexual Consent, Poll Finds
      TORONTO — An online poll commissioned by the Canadian Women's Foundation suggests most Canadians are lacking knowledge about the definition of sexual consent.

    Majority Of Canadians Lack Full Understanding Of Sexual Consent, Poll Finds

    Replacement Named For Manitoba Judge Scrutinized For Explicit Photos

    WINNIPEG — A replacement has been named for a Manitoba judge who faced public scrutiny over sexually explicit photos.

    Replacement Named For Manitoba Judge Scrutinized For Explicit Photos

    Regulator Could Impose New Wholesale Rules, Impacting Wireless Roaming Rates

    Regulator Could Impose New Wholesale Rules, Impacting Wireless Roaming Rates
    GATINEAU, Que. — Canada's telecom regulator will issue a decision today that could affect the fees charged to consumers when they roam with their wireless devices outside of their home network areas.

    Regulator Could Impose New Wholesale Rules, Impacting Wireless Roaming Rates

    4 More Suspicious Packages Received At Courthouses In Nova Scotia

    4 More Suspicious Packages Received At Courthouses In Nova Scotia
    HALIFAX — Nova Scotia's Justice Department says police are investigating after four more courthouses across the province received suspicious packages today.

    4 More Suspicious Packages Received At Courthouses In Nova Scotia

    Omar Khadr Bail Decision Delayed Until Thursday

    Omar Khadr Bail Decision Delayed Until Thursday
    EDMONTON — An Alberta judge says she needs more time to make a decision on whether former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr should be released on bail.

    Omar Khadr Bail Decision Delayed Until Thursday

    Shawn Merrick, Dangerous B.C. Man Who Escaped Custody Is A Suspect In Multiple Robberies In Surrey

    Shawn Merrick, Dangerous B.C. Man Who Escaped Custody Is A Suspect In Multiple Robberies In Surrey
    SURREY, B.C. — A 43-year-old man who is the subject of a Canada-wide warrant for escaping custody is now a suspect in multiple robberies in Surrey and Langley, B.C.

    Shawn Merrick, Dangerous B.C. Man Who Escaped Custody Is A Suspect In Multiple Robberies In Surrey