GPM Will Give a Damn, Not Build Another Dam

Fort Garry Green Party candidate Alon Weinberg spoke today in front of Manitoba Hydro headquarters criticizing the short-sighted and detrimental energy policies implemented by the corporation and NDP.

Weinberg was at Jenpeg Dam yesterday to stand with the Pimicikamak Cree Nation in support of their 30 years struggle against Manitoba Hydro and the Government of Manitoba. “Manitoba Hydro has caused extensive ecological damage to northern boreal ecosystems – including but not limited to muddying of clear waters, erosion of river banks, and fracturing of animal habitat through power line construction and through flooding,” Weinberg said.

The Green Party of Manitoba recognizes that hydroelectric development on the Nelson- Churchill River system has destroyed the Cree homeland making their water undrinkable and the waterways dangerous due to shoreline erosion and fluctuating water levels. In addition, a full ecological cumulative-impact assessment of the hydroelectric dams built has never been conducted.

The Green Party of Manitoba points to the recently passed law in Minnesota’s legislature and also calls on Manitoba Hydro to regularly account for the social and ecological impact of their dam construction. The crowd applauded Weinberg when he pledged that the “Green Party of Manitoba will give a damn, not build another dam.”