You kill the land
You kill the water
You kill the animals
You kill the birds
You kill the fish
You kill the people
-Robert Spence, Councillor for Tataskweyak Cree Nation
The Cree Nation is not opposed to development, nor are we opposed to
progress. What we ARE opposed to is resource-based extraction industries
such as Manitoba Hydro that swoop in and destroy our lands, waters, and
wildlife to the detriment of our people.
We are not “against electricity,” we are, however, against our lakes and
rivers being so flooded and polluted that:
our water is undrinkable
our water is full of poisonous heavy metals such as mercury
our water has toxic levels of methane
our fish have tumors
our people suffer from third world diseases such as shigella and
shigellosis (bloody diarrhea)
our people keep getting H Pylori from the water
our people have disproportionately high rates of cancer
our whitefish and other species of fish are dying off
the Churchill River Sturgeon are faced with the threat of extinction
Our ancestral graves have, and continue to fall into the water due to
soil erosion that is eating away at the land and dumping it into the
lakes
Our people live in abject poverty, many do not have flush toilets or
running water The list goes on and on and to discuss the socio-economic effects
would be a whole separate blog post
Hydroelectric power is amazing and it is also a necessary part of our
everyday lives. Once again, we are not against electricity, nor do we oppose
hydropower. We would just like hydropower to be produced ethically and
responsibly.
Manitoba Hydro spends copious amounts of money on “Clean Energy”
campaigns, but the notion of “Clean Energy” being produced by Manitoba
Hydro is an absolute myth. It is a lie being fed to Manitobans, Canadians,
and Americans, particularly those living in #Minnesota and #Wisconsin that
Manitoba Hydro wants to sell their hydropower to. Also, we believe that
there are alternate means of producing energy that are less harmful to the
environment such as solar and wind power.
In closing, as a Nehetho grandmother, land defender, and water protector, I
cannot stand by, nor remain silent while this destruction of Cree land and
water continues. I urge you to take action with me.
You save the land
You save the water
You save the animals
You save the birds
You save the fish
You save the people
Please consider taking the following actions:
- Sign our change.org petition
- Make a contribution to our GOFUNDME page for legal fees.
- Write a letter to your local MLA and/or your MP today stating your
opposition to the government of Manitoba/Minister of Climate and
Conservation’s decision to grant Manitoba Hydro a final license to
destroy Cree land and water in Northern Manitoba