Quebec is thirsty for electricity. In Témiscamingue, elected Aboriginal and municipal officials are struggling to make a hydroelectric project that has been planned for years a reality. Millions of dollars are at stake, but also the integrity of a waterway in the heart of Opémican National Park, the Kipawa River, whose flow would be greatly reduced.
No question here of a gigantic hydroelectric work: it is rather a question of building two small power stations downstream of Lake Kipawa, whose level is already controlled by dams. These plants could generate 42 megawatts (MW), enough to power more than 10,000 homes.
“Our vision is a community project,” explains David McLaren, spokesperson for the promoters and also director of health services for the Algonquin community of Kebaowek. Last March, the First Nations of Kebaowek, Wolf Lake and Pekuakamiulnuatsh, as well as the MRC du Témiscamingue, founded a limited partnership, Onimiki Renewable Project, to develop the project.
Lake Kipawa empties into the Ottawa River through two outlets, approximately 400 kilometers upstream from Ottawa. The two power stations would be built on the smallest outlet, Gordon Creek, where a paper mill once operated a hydroelectric power station. At the end of the 1990s, Hydro-Québec was considering the Tabaret project (135 MW) in the same location, which never saw the light of day due to lack of social acceptability.
We live together on the territory, we all need our natural resources, and I think that a project like this is a very important economic lever
The concept now proposed does not involve any flooding of the surface: it exclusively uses water from the reservoir. It’s a “modest” project and “in tune with our community,” argues Claire Bolduc, prefect of the MRC du Témiscamingue. The Lake Kipawa dams are already used to retain flood waters in the spring to protect Ottawa and Gatineau from flooding.
The project, in its current form, has been discussed for about 20 years. However, until recently, the energy context in Quebec was not favorable to its realization. It’s quite the opposite now. “Hydro-Québec is sure to end up accepting our proposal, because they need it,” thinks M.me Bolduc.
Last July, the promoters of the Onimiki project (which means “thunder” in Algonquin) were a hair’s breadth from submitting their project to a Hydro-Québec call for tenders for 480 MW of renewable energy, but they finally decided not to. “We cannot support the proposals of multinationals [du secteur éolien] in routine Hydro-Québec calls for tenders,” explains Mr. McLaren. “For us, it’s not profit at all costs,” he adds.
The promoters of Onimiki now hope that Hydro-Quebec will launch a call for tenders adapted to “community” projects such as theirs. At the end of last year, they submitted a request to that effect to the Crown corporation. No decision has been made for the moment, indicates Hydro-Québec to the Duty.
Impacts still unknown
Last June, several local players — including the Témiscamingue watershed organization (OBVT) and a dissident mayor of the MRC — signed an open letter imploring developers to postpone Onimiki’s submission to the call for tenders. . They criticized the lack of information on the possible ecological repercussions of the project.
Even if no territory is submerged, the project would necessarily involve modifying the flows of the two outlets of Lake Kipawa. In fact, not every drop of water “turbined” in Gordon Creek would flow into the Kipawa River, whose current flow is about eight times greater than that of the creek.
According to a graph presented to the public by the proponents last November, the flow of the Kipawa River would be reduced by approximately half on an annual basis. The reduction would be greater in winter, when the electrical power needs would call for increased production.
“It’s major,” says Yves Grafteaux, general manager of the OBVT. It is not yet known how much flow is needed to provide the ecological services of the river, such as the hibernation of turtles and amphibians, the reproduction of fish, the life cycle of bats, etc. »
Norman Young, mayor of the municipality of Kipawa, which borders the lake of the same name, is worried about the debris and contaminants that could resurface from Gordon Creek, whose flow would be multiplied. This stream, created by foresters in the 19the century, connects a string of small lakes. It was used in particular for the log drive.
“The lake is full of sawdust and bark. When the flow will increase in this river, I don’t know what will come out below, in Temiscaming, in the Ottawa River,” inquires Mr. Young. The Algonquin mayor of the village of 500 inhabitants wants more information before giving his support to the MRC.
Prefect Bolduc — former president of the Ordre des agronomes du Québec and fierce defender of rural development in the province — does not dismiss these concerns out of hand. “To have certain answers, you have to build a project,” she argues, however. If the environmental repercussions are too great, the project will not go ahead, promises the elected official.
Renewable Energy Onimiki is currently busy finding firms to carry out technical, economic and environmental studies. The four communities expect to receive from 2 to 4 million dollars per year if the project is carried out. The initial investments would be around 200 million.
Before getting there, the company will have to provide an impact study to the Quebec Ministry of the Environment. The evaluation of the project will then be handled by the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE). The final word on authorization will rest with the government.
In the heart of Opémican Park
With its many rapids, the Kipawa River is popular with kayakers. In June of each year, a rafting festival takes place there. Wild and full of fish, it was chosen by the Bank of Canada in 2017 to adorn a special edition of a $10 bill.
This river also crosses Parc national d’Opémican, which opened to the public in 2018. The Quebec Parks Act prohibits the exploitation of a park’s natural resources to produce energy. Since the work of the Onimiki project would take place outside the park, it would obviously not contravene the law.
Nevertheless, the flow of the Kipawa River would be significantly reduced in Opémican Park. “The promoters come to exploit a resource that we had decided to protect,” criticizes Christian Bélisle, of the citizen group Les Amis de la rivière Kipawa. Reducing the flow means losing wetlands along the river, he says.
The director of Parc national d’Opémican, Carine Bergeron, refused the interview request of the Duty about the Onimiki project. The Society of Outdoor Establishments of Quebec does not know for the moment the potential effects of the project on the natural environments of the park, simply indicates a spokesperson by email.
David McLaren, from the Kebaowek community, wants to be reassuring. “The flow will be acceptable. There will be no negative influences on the environment, that’s for sure,” he guarantees. “We live together on the territory, we all need our natural resources, and I think that a project like this is a very important economic lever. The band council plans to use the proceeds to fund a care home for seniors.
Building a joint project like Onimiki is an incredible tool for promoting “reconciliation”, say with one voice the two representatives of the promoters interviewed by The duty. “We often talk about reconciliation with the First Peoples,” observes Mr. McLaren. Well, we’ve seen him here for several years, and it feels good. We are a small region, Témiscamingue. We too have a right to development. »