by Frances Stanford

Created on: December 12, 2009

In 1971, when Robert Bourassa was premier of Quebec, he launched a massive hydro-electricity project on the shores of James Bay in the northern part of the province. It is a series of dams, reservoirs, power stations and dykes, some of which are still being built, to harness the energy on the large roaring rivers that flow into Hudson Bay and James Bay.

The result is that this project will eventually drain the waters from about 20% of the rivers in Quebec. Waters will be diverted from others reducing them to just a trickle of water and others will swell out over their banks flooding the lands. This area, which will be equal to that of the size of Lake Ontario, will produce enormous amounts of hydro-electric power.

By 1985, Phase One of the project was completed costing upwards of $16 billion. Three powerhouses were constructed on the La Grande River and free rivers were diverted to this location bringing the flow of the water in the river to almost double what it once was. The construction of Phase Two, a giant powerhouse at the mouth of the river and powerhouses on five other rivers began in 1996. Once the project is complete, the James Bay operations will produce about ¼ of the power used in North America. However, that estimate was based on power usages in the 1970’s and today, the project is still not able to produce what is actually needed.

This project has been controversial since its beginning because of the huge impact it has on the environment and of the native lands of the Cree people who live in this part of the province. They did agree to allow the project to proceed in 1975 once the government remunerated them to the tune of $225 million. They also received control over 75,000 square km of land.

The shoreline along the affected rivers has been filled with dead trees that have washed down the river and have been uprooted due to the flooding. Earth tremors have also been reported in the areas where dams have been built because of the unnatural weight of artificial rivers that have been created. Local lakes and rivers have also been affected by this project with the higher than normal levels of decomposing materials containing mercury that have found their way into the water reservoirs. This has affected the marine life and has caused disruption to the food chain. The increase and decrease of the flow of water in various rivers has also affected the seasonal nesting patterns of the birds, such as Canada Geese.

In addition to the environmental impact the James Bay project has had, there has also been a social and cultural affect on the people who traditionally lived, farmed, fished and hunted in this region. With the need for bringing large pieces of equipment into the region, the small Cree communities that were previously isolated were connected by roads and an airport was constructed. However, along with the coming of roads came a further problem for the people as the interior was opened up to mineral exploration and the possibility of exploitation of the wildlife on which they depended for food.

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