As a follow up to my column last week, I am going to retell the story the first dam built in Manitoba, the Grand Rapids dam.

In 1953, Grand Rapids became a point of discussion for the Manitoba government and the provinces engineers. Hydroelectric was viewed as free energy; that there could be consequences to dam development was not even considered. In fact Bob Hunter, noted environmentalist and founder of Greenpeace, wrote a glowing account of hydroelectric development for the Winnipeg Free Press.

Details of the construction were finalized in 1957. It became apparent that there would be significant impacts to the ecology of the area flooded and that the economy of those who lived off the land would be impacted. Still, the project was approved for development.

The Cree residents of the area to be flooded had had little contact with the south since signing the treaties in 1875. They were hunters, trappers and fishermen, living a largely traditional way of life. The community first learned of the proposed dam from an advertisement in a southern newspaper. When the government finally approached the community in 1960, it told the residents to vacate the land by 1964.

The Manitoba government became aware of their obligation to negotiate a settlement with the Cree prior to development. They set up a panel of southern experts who were less than honest with the Cree about the impacts of construction. The Cree were not afforded legal council and little English was spoken in the community, therefore few understood what was being said. In the agreement, the residents were promised pristine land to replace the flooded land.

After flooding, the impacts were more severe than predicted. Fish and caribou populations were decimated by the dam. Mercury contamination led to the shut down of fisheries in 1972. The land granted was of poor quality and could not support agriculture. Alcohol became accessible through construction camps. The community collapsed into poverty and social dysfunction.