The Manitoba government confirmed the receipt of the Clean Environment Commission’s report on the public outreach and review of the Regional Cumulative Effects Assessment (RCEA), which was conducted by the province and Manitoba Hydro.
“The allegations of abuse contained within the report are, quite frankly, extremely disheartening and disturbing,” said Sustainable Development Minister Squires, who is also the minister responsible for the status of women. “We take these allegations seriously. Given the nature of some of those allegations, the Manitoba government will be referring the report to the RCMP for investigation.”
The report will also be referred to the RCEA committee to determine how the provincial government and affected stakeholders will proceed.
“The allegations noted in the report are very disturbing,” said Crown Services Minister Colleen Mayer. “Manitoba Hydro has taken significant steps, putting in place enhanced policies to prevent this type of abuse from occurring at its worksites, and it is clear that there is more work to be done. We will continue to work with Manitoba Hydro leadership and the board in co-operation with Indigenous partners in this regard.”
The Manitoba government and Manitoba Hydro led the RCEA for the Nelson, Burntwood and Churchill river systems. In 2015, the Clean Environment Commission (CEC) was mandated to conduct outreach regarding this assessment and to review the cumulative effects of hydro-electric development in both historic and recent projects. The goal was to identify ways to reduce the impact of future projects as well as mitigate the effects of past developments. The CEC heard from the public and specifically sought the input of affected Indigenous communities and the Manitoba Metis Federation.
In addition to social impacts on communities, the RCEA report also examined the environmental impacts of development and recommended moving to more sustainable watershed-based planning.
In the spring, the government passed The Sustainable Watersheds Act. Consistent with the RCEA findings, this Act recognizes the importance of watershed-based planning, renaming conservation districts to watershed districts, and updating boundaries to reflect actual watersheds for more holistic water management. The legislation also empowers watershed districts to have more meaningful engagement with Indigenous communities and organizations to implement watershed management plans.
