Kirk Lethbridge, one of the organizers of the protest, said they don’t believe the North Spur — a section of the dam that has been a source of controversy since the venture began — will hold once the project gets underway. He said members of his group have maintained there would be stability problems before and, after taking a look at the site, they still believe that to be true.
“We marched all the way in to the spur and looked the river up and the river down,” he said. “It was just heart-wrenching. To see that damage to the landscape, it was tough to look at.”
He said they don’t believe the spur bank, which is underlain with clay, will hold and will potentially flood the valley and the municipalities of Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Mud Lake. The same clay bank was a concern for Natural Resources Canada when it approved the project at the Joint Review Panel public hearing held in Happy Valley-Goose Bay in 2011.
When Lethbridge’s group planned the march, they had expected to get arrested, but the group managed to make it all the way to the North Spur.
Lethbridge said he believes that arresting them would have drawn too much attention and that’s why they were allowed to walk through the area unmolested. He said the protest still got across its point and drew attention to the issues.
“We want people to wake up and realize it’s not too late to shut this down,” he told TC Media.
“The option, if you live in Happy Valley-Goose Bay or Mud Lake, is to lay awake wondering, is it tonight? Is it going to bust and come down and drown everybody?”
That and the potential methylmercury concern that has been a forefront topic in the controversy are their issues with the project, Lethbridge said.
The Nunatsiavut Government had called for clear cutting of the reservoir before flooding began to mitigate methylmercury effluent. The provincial government decided to not clear cut the reservoir for the first 25 per cent of the flooding, slated to start soon, and is looking into options for the remaining 75 per cent.
“Once the flooding starts a way of life that’s existed for thousands of years is going to be destroyed,” Lethbridge said.
“No one is going to be able to eat seal meat or fish from this bay anymore. It’s going to be toxified. That’s not acceptable to us and it shouldn’t be acceptable to anybody. I’d feel the same if they were doing this to any river or valley.”
The other issue the group wants to draw attention to is a demand for an audit of Nalcor.
“The corporation belongs to the citizens of this province and if we want an audit of our corporation then we should be able to get it,” he said. “A complete audit of Nalcor, I think that’s something we need to get done. A number of people from the island have been fighting for that as well.”
Previous story:
Protest planned at Muskrat Falls Oct. 3, group attempting walk to North Spur
MUSKRAT FALLS, N.L. - A group of people who want the Muskrat Falls project shut down and Nalcor audited are marching on the North Spur at 1 p.m. Atlantic Time today and they don’t expect to make it home tonight.
Kirk Lethbridge, one of the organizers of the protest, said the protestors don’t believe the North Spur — a dam which has been the source of controversy since the venture began — will hold once the project gets underway.
He said members of the group don’t believe the bank, which is underlain with clay and was a concern for Natural Resources Canada when it approved the project at the Joint Review Panel Public Hearing in Happy Valley-Goose Bay in 2011, would hold. They say it could potentially flood the valley, along with the municipalities of Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Mud Lake. Lethbridge said the protestors want to see the dam, but don’t think they will get the chance.
“We’re probably not going to get a hundred yards before the loyal servants of the Crown scoop us up and take us to the Labrador Correctional Centre or the RCMP station,” he told TC Media. “We want people to wake up and realize it’s not too late to shut this down. The options, if you live in Happy Valley-Goose Bay or Mud Lake, the option is to lay awake tonight wondering is it tonight? Is it going to bust and come down and drown everybody?”
That dam issue - and a potential methylmercury concern that has also been a topic of controversy - are the protestors' issues with the project, Lethbridge said. The Nunatsiavut Government had called for clearcutting of the reservoir before flooding began to mitigate methylmercury effluent. The provincial government decided to not clearcut the reservoir for the first 25 per cent of the flooding, slated to start soon, and are looking into options for the remaining 75 per cent.
“Once the flooding starts a way of life that’s existed for thousands of years is going to be destroyed,” Lethbridge said. “No one is going to be able to eat seal meat or fish fofromrm this bay anymore. It’s going to be toxified. That’s not acceptable to us and it shouldn’t be acceptable to anybody. I’d feel the same if they were doing this to any river or valley.”
The other issue protestors want to draw attention to is a demand for an audit of Nalcor.
“The corporation belongs to the citizens of this province and if we want an audit of our corporation then we should be able to get it,” he said. “A complete audit of Nalcor - I think that’s something we need to get done. A number of people for the island have been fighting for that as well.”
The protest group, which Lethbridge said he believes is about 15 people, are meeting at the Trans Labrador Highway West at the old Muskrat Falls turnoff that goes out to the falls.
TC Media will be following this story as it develops and will follow up with Lethbridge following the protest, if possible.
“I suspect I’ll be hard to reach tonight or maybe the rest of the week,” he said. “We expect some people are going to be arrested today.”
Kirk Lethbridge, one of the organizers of the protest, said they don’t believe the North Spur — a section of the dam that has been a source of controversy since the venture began — will hold once the project gets underway. He said members of his group have maintained there would be stability problems before and, after taking a look at the site, they still believe that to be true.
“We marched all the way in to the spur and looked the river up and the river down,” he said. “It was just heart-wrenching. To see that damage to the landscape, it was tough to look at.”
He said they don’t believe the spur bank, which is underlain with clay, will hold and will potentially flood the valley and the municipalities of Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Mud Lake. The same clay bank was a concern for Natural Resources Canada when it approved the project at the Joint Review Panel public hearing held in Happy Valley-Goose Bay in 2011.
When Lethbridge’s group planned the march, they had expected to get arrested, but the group managed to make it all the way to the North Spur.
Lethbridge said he believes that arresting them would have drawn too much attention and that’s why they were allowed to walk through the area unmolested. He said the protest still got across its point and drew attention to the issues.
“We want people to wake up and realize it’s not too late to shut this down,” he told TC Media.
“The option, if you live in Happy Valley-Goose Bay or Mud Lake, is to lay awake wondering, is it tonight? Is it going to bust and come down and drown everybody?”
That and the potential methylmercury concern that has been a forefront topic in the controversy are their issues with the project, Lethbridge said.
The Nunatsiavut Government had called for clear cutting of the reservoir before flooding began to mitigate methylmercury effluent. The provincial government decided to not clear cut the reservoir for the first 25 per cent of the flooding, slated to start soon, and is looking into options for the remaining 75 per cent.
“Once the flooding starts a way of life that’s existed for thousands of years is going to be destroyed,” Lethbridge said.
“No one is going to be able to eat seal meat or fish from this bay anymore. It’s going to be toxified. That’s not acceptable to us and it shouldn’t be acceptable to anybody. I’d feel the same if they were doing this to any river or valley.”
The other issue the group wants to draw attention to is a demand for an audit of Nalcor.
“The corporation belongs to the citizens of this province and if we want an audit of our corporation then we should be able to get it,” he said. “A complete audit of Nalcor, I think that’s something we need to get done. A number of people from the island have been fighting for that as well.”
Previous story:
Protest planned at Muskrat Falls Oct. 3, group attempting walk to North Spur
MUSKRAT FALLS, N.L. - A group of people who want the Muskrat Falls project shut down and Nalcor audited are marching on the North Spur at 1 p.m. Atlantic Time today and they don’t expect to make it home tonight.
Kirk Lethbridge, one of the organizers of the protest, said the protestors don’t believe the North Spur — a dam which has been the source of controversy since the venture began — will hold once the project gets underway.
He said members of the group don’t believe the bank, which is underlain with clay and was a concern for Natural Resources Canada when it approved the project at the Joint Review Panel Public Hearing in Happy Valley-Goose Bay in 2011, would hold. They say it could potentially flood the valley, along with the municipalities of Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Mud Lake. Lethbridge said the protestors want to see the dam, but don’t think they will get the chance.
“We’re probably not going to get a hundred yards before the loyal servants of the Crown scoop us up and take us to the Labrador Correctional Centre or the RCMP station,” he told TC Media. “We want people to wake up and realize it’s not too late to shut this down. The options, if you live in Happy Valley-Goose Bay or Mud Lake, the option is to lay awake tonight wondering is it tonight? Is it going to bust and come down and drown everybody?”
That dam issue - and a potential methylmercury concern that has also been a topic of controversy - are the protestors' issues with the project, Lethbridge said. The Nunatsiavut Government had called for clearcutting of the reservoir before flooding began to mitigate methylmercury effluent. The provincial government decided to not clearcut the reservoir for the first 25 per cent of the flooding, slated to start soon, and are looking into options for the remaining 75 per cent.
“Once the flooding starts a way of life that’s existed for thousands of years is going to be destroyed,” Lethbridge said. “No one is going to be able to eat seal meat or fish fofromrm this bay anymore. It’s going to be toxified. That’s not acceptable to us and it shouldn’t be acceptable to anybody. I’d feel the same if they were doing this to any river or valley.”
The other issue protestors want to draw attention to is a demand for an audit of Nalcor.
“The corporation belongs to the citizens of this province and if we want an audit of our corporation then we should be able to get it,” he said. “A complete audit of Nalcor - I think that’s something we need to get done. A number of people for the island have been fighting for that as well.”
The protest group, which Lethbridge said he believes is about 15 people, are meeting at the Trans Labrador Highway West at the old Muskrat Falls turnoff that goes out to the falls.
TC Media will be following this story as it develops and will follow up with Lethbridge following the protest, if possible.
“I suspect I’ll be hard to reach tonight or maybe the rest of the week,” he said. “We expect some people are going to be arrested today.”
