Protesters from Labrador’s Innu community block Gull Island to prevent Hydro-Québec site surveying

Some members of Labrador’s Innu community are preparing for a marathon protest outside Gull Island to halt Hydro-Québec’s site studies for the proposed hydroelectric project on the lower Churchill River.

About 20 protesters gathered on Wednesday evening. 

Translated to English by protester Madeline Sillitt, organizer Matthew Andrew told CBC in Innu-aimun that he expects a lot of people will join the protest to help preserve the land, in spite of the Innu Nation’s multimillion-dollar agreement in principle with Hydro-Québec.

“He said there might be quite a bit of people coming soon once this protest really starts. He said if not, he is going to head to Ottawa and protest out there,” Sillit said for Andrew.

The agreement in principle with Hydro-Québec was reached in June. 

It will see Hydro-Québec pay $87 million to the Innu of Labrador — members of Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation and Mushuau Innu First Nation — in the form of annual payments to a reconciliation fund over 16 years.

The tentative deal also includes a framework for potential Gull Island development. In order to finalize the agreement in principle, the Innu Nation will present it to people in Sheshatshiu and Natuashish, who will vote sometime between September and October.

Roads leading into Gull Island were barricaded as of Wednesday night. 

Chris Dyke told CBC News the protesters goal is to block Hydro-Québec employees from entering the grounds where Labrador’s Innu communities come together for an event known as the Manishan Nui gathering.

“The Gathering site is to bring people together, not to destroy it,” he said. “I take my grandkids here to partridge hunt and let them drive around. I teach my grandkids here.”

Dyke says he wants his grandchildren to be able to do the same. He said the loss of land isn’t worth the $87-million tentative deal.

“The best thing about this place is it brings everybody together,” he said. “Everybody loves money. I love money, too, but it’s only a couple days worth of money you’re going to have here.”

Antonia Katshinak says she doesn’t think the deal is fair either.

“There’s going to be water everywhere. Everything will be destroyed. The land is more important than money. Money doesn’t last long, but the land will last forever,” Katshinak told CBC.

She says she worries about the animals.

“They’re going to drown, I guess,” Katshinak said. “It’s scary not to come here anymore.”

With shelters already standing on Gull Island for events like the Gathering, Katshinak said she will show up on Thursday ready to protest for the long haul. 

She expects others to join her. 

“Tomorrow, my husband and I are coming up to stay,” Katshinak said. “We’re going to stay as long as we can.”

Hydro-Québec spokesperson Lynn St-Laurent told CBC News on Wednesday that Hydro-Québec’s survey will not impact the Mainishan Nui Gathering, which takes place during the third week of September.

She anticipates workers will be in the area until the end of September or mid-October, with 40 on site at the study’s peak. 

But the protesters say they don’t buy it. For Dyke, surveying the land means destroying it.

“They want to bring in loaders and drills, so we barricaded it up so no equipment will beat up the land,” he said. 

St-Laurent confirmed that surveying the ground of Gull Island will involve some drilling and tree clearing, but she called it standard process. 

“This is a large endeavour and there’s a lot of information that we need to get ready,” she said. “There’s also some components that are standard for the reaching of the final agreement.”

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