Whither Wintego: Environmental Impact Assessment and Indigenous Opposition in Saskatchewan’s Churchill River Hydropower Project in the 1970s
This article details Saskatchewan’s first environmental impact assessment, which took place in the 1970s over a proposed dam on the Churchill River at the Wintego Rapids. The Wintego Dam, which would have been the largest hydroelectric dam in the province at the time, was controversial because of th...
Published in: | Canadian Historical Review |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress)
2021
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/chr-2020-0011 https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/chr-2020-0011 |
id |
crunivtoronpr:10.3138/chr-2020-0011 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crunivtoronpr:10.3138/chr-2020-0011 2023-12-31T10:05:56+01:00 Whither Wintego: Environmental Impact Assessment and Indigenous Opposition in Saskatchewan’s Churchill River Hydropower Project in the 1970s Macfarlane, Daniel Olive, Andrea 2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/chr-2020-0011 https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/chr-2020-0011 en eng University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) Canadian Historical Review volume 102, issue 4, page 620-646 ISSN 0008-3755 1710-1093 Religious studies History journal-article 2021 crunivtoronpr https://doi.org/10.3138/chr-2020-0011 2023-12-01T08:18:07Z This article details Saskatchewan’s first environmental impact assessment, which took place in the 1970s over a proposed dam on the Churchill River at the Wintego Rapids. The Wintego Dam, which would have been the largest hydroelectric dam in the province at the time, was controversial because of the environmental repercussions and impacts on the local Indigenous communities, particularly the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. We show that the Blakeney ndp government did not initially intend to create a robust environmental impact assessment, and then explain how and why such an assessment was ultimately undertaken. Using archival material that was previously unavailable, the article recounts the governmental study, the Indigenous-led studies (after they rejected the governmental process), and the final Board of Inquiry report. The Wintego saga should be understood within the context of a growing resistance to northern development projects whose benefits accrued mostly to the southern white population. Ultimately, the Blakeney government decided not to build Wintego because of the economic, environmental, and social impacts, as well as concerns about unsettled treaty claims. This could be considered the first attempt – even before the Berger Inquiry – by a provincial government to fully assess the impacts of a natural resource project before final approval, and it was the earliest incorporation of Indigenous-led studies into the assessment process. Article in Journal/Newspaper Churchill River University of Toronto Press (U Toronto Press - via Crossref) Canadian Historical Review e20200011 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Toronto Press (U Toronto Press - via Crossref) |
op_collection_id |
crunivtoronpr |
language |
English |
topic |
Religious studies History |
spellingShingle |
Religious studies History Macfarlane, Daniel Olive, Andrea Whither Wintego: Environmental Impact Assessment and Indigenous Opposition in Saskatchewan’s Churchill River Hydropower Project in the 1970s |
topic_facet |
Religious studies History |
description |
This article details Saskatchewan’s first environmental impact assessment, which took place in the 1970s over a proposed dam on the Churchill River at the Wintego Rapids. The Wintego Dam, which would have been the largest hydroelectric dam in the province at the time, was controversial because of the environmental repercussions and impacts on the local Indigenous communities, particularly the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. We show that the Blakeney ndp government did not initially intend to create a robust environmental impact assessment, and then explain how and why such an assessment was ultimately undertaken. Using archival material that was previously unavailable, the article recounts the governmental study, the Indigenous-led studies (after they rejected the governmental process), and the final Board of Inquiry report. The Wintego saga should be understood within the context of a growing resistance to northern development projects whose benefits accrued mostly to the southern white population. Ultimately, the Blakeney government decided not to build Wintego because of the economic, environmental, and social impacts, as well as concerns about unsettled treaty claims. This could be considered the first attempt – even before the Berger Inquiry – by a provincial government to fully assess the impacts of a natural resource project before final approval, and it was the earliest incorporation of Indigenous-led studies into the assessment process. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Macfarlane, Daniel Olive, Andrea |
author_facet |
Macfarlane, Daniel Olive, Andrea |
author_sort |
Macfarlane, Daniel |
title |
Whither Wintego: Environmental Impact Assessment and Indigenous Opposition in Saskatchewan’s Churchill River Hydropower Project in the 1970s |
title_short |
Whither Wintego: Environmental Impact Assessment and Indigenous Opposition in Saskatchewan’s Churchill River Hydropower Project in the 1970s |
title_full |
Whither Wintego: Environmental Impact Assessment and Indigenous Opposition in Saskatchewan’s Churchill River Hydropower Project in the 1970s |
title_fullStr |
Whither Wintego: Environmental Impact Assessment and Indigenous Opposition in Saskatchewan’s Churchill River Hydropower Project in the 1970s |
title_full_unstemmed |
Whither Wintego: Environmental Impact Assessment and Indigenous Opposition in Saskatchewan’s Churchill River Hydropower Project in the 1970s |
title_sort |
whither wintego: environmental impact assessment and indigenous opposition in saskatchewan’s churchill river hydropower project in the 1970s |
publisher |
University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/chr-2020-0011 https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/chr-2020-0011 |
genre |
Churchill River |
genre_facet |
Churchill River |
op_source |
Canadian Historical Review volume 102, issue 4, page 620-646 ISSN 0008-3755 1710-1093 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3138/chr-2020-0011 |
container_title |
Canadian Historical Review |
container_start_page |
e20200011 |
_version_ |
1786837659638824960 |