The Magpie River now benefits from international recognition. It has just been registered as an “indigenous and community heritage area” (APAC), we learned The duty. Ottawa and Quebec, however, refuse to move forward on the creation of a possible protected area, while Hydro-Québec considers that it would not be “responsible” to give up the hydroelectric potential of this important watercourse on the Coast. -North.
“We have just solidified the protection of this important river of our Nitassinan and consolidated the Innu vision for its future,” underlines Jean-Charles Piétacho, Innu chief of Ekuanitshit, specifying that the Magpie thus becomes the first APAC in Canada.
“Minganie has many internationally renowned natural gems, including the Magpie River. Recognition as APAC demonstrates once again the importance of protecting these wonders to ensure their recreational and tourism development,” adds Meggie Richard, prefect of the MRC of Minganie.
We have just solidified the protection of this important river of our Nitassinan and consolidated the Innu vision for its future
This title serves to recognize the “strong ties” that unite an indigenous people and a territory. It is granted by an international consortium which mainly includes indigenous groups, but also United Nations organizations, among its “partners”. Among these, we find the Convention on Biological Diversity, of which Canada is a member and which coordinated COP15 held in Montreal. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which sets guidelines for protected areas, is also linked to the consortium.
The listing of the Magpie River as ICCA could thus lead to the granting of a protected status recognized by the United Nations World Conservation Monitoring Center. The Muteshekau-shipu Alliance, which brings together Innu, elected officials from the North Shore and environmental groups, had already granted “legal personality” to the watercourse in 2021.
Protected area?
The group is now asking the federal government to include this territory in the Canadian database of protected and conserved areas, managed by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Is the Trudeau government in favor of a protected area project? The office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, did not wish to comment on “a hypothetical proposal for this specific region of Quebec”.
“Indigenous peoples have been custodians of the lands and waters since time immemorial. Their dedication and knowledge of the land is essential. I am happy to learn that the Magpie River has been recognized at the international level,” however, underlined the Minister. The federal government at the same time reiterated its intention to advance projects “which will be essential” to achieving “our objective of protecting 30% of lands and waters in Canada by 2030”.
Hydro-Quebec
Director of conservation at the Society for Nature and Parks of Quebec, Pier-Olivier Boudreault believes that the APAC status should encourage Hydro-Québec to abandon any dam project. He recalls that a 2,600 km protected area project2 had been rejected in 2020 due to the hydroelectric potential of the watercourse.
Where is the project to create a protected area today? “No project is underway on the Magpie River, no announcement is planned,” said Wednesday the office of the Minister of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, Benoit Charette .
“We have no projects planned on the Magpie River, in the short or medium term. However, at this time, we consider that it would not be responsible, from a point of view of Quebec’s energy security, to definitively renounce the potential of this river”, reiterates for its part Hydro-Québec, in a written response.
“However, let us remember that our projects are carried out taking into account social acceptability and that we know the community’s position on the issue,” specifies the state corporation. It is looking for ways to increase electricity production in the coming years. In particular, she is studying the potential of the Petit Mécatina river.