Trappers' concerns a hurdle for dam project
A handful of N.W.T. trappers stand in the way of a lucrative hydro power venture on the Talston River in the territory's south Slave region.
The project to expand the existing dam on the river and sell hydro to the diamond mines has been developed by Akaitcho Treaty Eight, the N.W.T. Metis and N.W.T. Energy Corporations.
| Members of a business venture on the Talston River are hoping to sell hydro electric power to the diamond mines. Dan Grabke, one of the engineers working on the project, says a switch from diesel to hydro is attractive to the mining industry because of its economic and environmental advantages. "We approached the two existing mines as well as Snap Lake with De Beers which has been working with us on the possibility of switching to hydro and all three of them have been positive about being our customers," he says. The plan would require improvements and expansion to the Twin Gorge Generating Station. A transmission line would be built to connect the Talston river to Snap Lake diamond mine. The partners say they hope to start construction in 2008 after a two-year environmental study. |
However, no one living along the watershed was ever consulted, and those people want to see their concerns addressed before any new project is approved.
The hydro plant is at the center of Ron Schaeffer's trapline
."They never did consult with trappers when they developed the dam," he says. "They bulldozed their traps, dog trails. So they lost fur, traps, trails cut for years. Trapper's cabins were flooded. Right now there's dangerous ice conditions."
In 1993, during a hearing into a water license application, the trappers appealed for compensation.
One of the oldest, Philip Kennedy showed slides of his log cabin under water with a beaver swimming through what had been a window.
Although negotiations began with the territorial and federal government there has never been a resolution.
Now Schaeffer is demanding a settlement before the proposed Talston River Project proceeds.
Last year BC Hydro settled a similar claim with the Athabasca Chipewyan for $2 million.
In northern Manitoba, six trappers received millions for damages from a dam.