A road blockade is taking place in Sandy Bay as some residents there are concerned about the lack of action from SaskPower to accommodate longstanding issues regarding the Island Falls Dam.
Organizer Michelle McDonald says residents are looking for compensation from the Utility for loss of wildlife and for jobs and training at the Dam.
“Compensation was a big thing for the loss of all the animals. There’s no muskrat, there’s no beaver on the Churchill [River]. My uncles were able to do it back in the day. They could go out on the river, they were avid trappers. My late father Cornelius Ballantyne was a strong advocate for that. I was never able too,” McDonald explained. “It should be Sandy Bay first. We’re the neighbours. We’re the first ones to feel the impacts of when anything happens over there. In regards to any compensation talks, any training, any employment, we feel it should be Sandy Bay first.”
McDonald says SaskPower has done very little to attempt to negotiate Sandy Bay’s concerns, only conducting numerous studies. Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Chief Peter A. Beatty says he is aware of the road blockade today, but notes court action on the Island Dam Falls has been going on for approximately 14 years.
A SaskPower spokesperson says in a statement. “SaskPower has strong relationships with community leaders in both Sandy Bay and the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. We are aware of the event planned today near the Island Falls Hydroelectric Station and do not expect it to impact work at the facility.”
(PHOTO: Island Falls Dam. Courtesy of SaskPower)