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MEDIA RELEASE: Mokami Status of Women Council with FemNorthNet call for Moratorium on Muskrat Falls

For Immediate Release September 15, 2011

The Mokami Status of Women Council, with FemNorthNet, says a moratorium on further development relating to the Muskrat Falls Hydro Electric Development Project is essential in light of the Joint Panel Review of the Lower Churchill Project’s report released in August.

“We feel vindicated in our conclusion that NALCOR did not engage in consultation with the community. The Panel rightly highlighted the significant impacts this development will have on our communities and how unprepared we will be to deal with increased demands for housing and social supports,” said Petrina Beals, the Council’s Executive Director

“Our message has always been talk with the people in the community who will be affected by this development. The Panel’s report demonstrates how important meaningful dialogue with community is for any development process.”

Ms. Beals said the Panel also highlighted the long term, cumulative effects from previous developments on the communities in Labrador as well as the anticipated changes associated with the communities in Labrador such as in–migration and the potential risk of irreversible damage to the river and its ecosysyems. 

“Developments have the potential to being tremendous benefits to communities, but also tremendous risks particularly for certain subpopulations. We must be careful that the benefits which should accrue to Labrador and its peoples do not come at a price we cannot afford,” said Ms. Beals.

“Our submissions during the hearing process demonstrated the inadequacy of NALCOR’s Environmental Impact statement. Our capacity as a community is already compromised and NALCOR ignored the overwhelming evidence put forward about our current situation.  We want the provincial government to take the opportunity offered by the Panel’s report and take a very careful second and third look at what Muskrat Falls really means to the people who will be directly affected by its development.”

The Mokami Status of Women Council is a feminist, equality–seeking organization operating in Happy Valley — Goose Bay since 1979.  FemNorthNet is a network of researchers and community–based organizations focused on researching issues of sustainable economic development and its impact on community health and social well being in northern Canada.

Mokami Status of Women Council and FemNorthNet Follow–up on the Lower Churchill Hydroelectric project near Happy Valley–Goose Bay, NL

August 25, 2011

Joint Review Panel Report Released on Environmental Assessment of the Proposed Lower Churchill Hydroelectric Generation

Project Canada’s Environment Minister Peter Kent, along with Newfoundland and Labrador’s Minister of Environment and Conservation Ross Wiseman, today released the environmental assessment report of the Joint Review Panel for the proposed Lower Churchill Hydroelectric Generation Project near Happy Valley–Goose Bay in Labrador.

Click here to view the whole press release

Click here to view an executive summary of the report in both official languages

Click here to view the joint panel review report

April 15, 2011

The Mokami Status of Women Council has repeated its calls for a moratorium on further development relating to the Muskrat Falls Hydro Electric Development Project saying that NALCOR has not done enough to assess the project’s social and economic impact on the community.

“NALCOR did not engage in consultation with the community. Our organization was never included in any meaningful way, and I was shocked to read their response to the Panel that they claimed their approach was appropriate and thorough,” said Petrina Beals, the Council’s Executive Director.

Click here to view the full article

Please view the following documents for more information:

• Closing Statement submitted to the Environmental Assessment Panel on the Lower Churchill Hydro Development — April 13, 2011
• Verbal Statement to Environmental Assessment Panel on the Lower Churchill Hydry Development — April 15, 2011
• Audio recording of Mokami & FemNorthNet Final comments to the Environmental Assessment panel on the Lower Churchill Hydro development — April 15, 2011
• Panel final report due and available on public registry on July 14, 2011 for Lower Churchill Hydroelectric Generation Project

Muskrat Falls project must include women’s experiences and perspectives

March 29, 2011

The Mokami Status of Women Council is calling for a moratorium on the Muskrat Falls Hydro–Electric Development Project until NALCOR carries out a gender–based analysis with key community organizations.

“We need a broader plan to prevent and reduce the anticipated negative social consequences not yet addressed by NALCOR,” says Petrina Beals, the council’s executive director.

“While we see there are opportunities for some community members, we also know that if we don’t plan for the negative effects and provide sufficient resources and supports, our community will not be better off once this development is completed. The experience of other communities has shown that these kinds of developments can lead to an increase in violence against women, reduce access to housing, and create barriers to employment due to limited childcare options.”

Click here to view the full article

Please see the documents below for more information:

• Backgrounder
• Submission to the Environmental Assessment Panel: Out of Rhetoric and Into the Reality of Local Women's Lives
• Verbal Presentation to the Environmental Assessment Panel

FemNorthNet
by Deborah Stienstra

December 2010

Introducing FemNorthNet — the Communities

In March 2010, CRIAW was awarded a Community–University Research Alliance (CURA) grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The project called FeministNorthNetwork or FemNorthNet brings together women in 3 northern communities along with researchers and other organizations from across Canada. In an earlier edition of the newsletter we described the project. In this article, we introduce the 3 communities in more detail and give a flavour of the first team meeting in Thompson Manitoba in June 2010.

FemNorthNet works with community leaders and organizations in each of these three communities: La Loche Saskatchewan, Thompson Manitoba and Happy Valley — Goose Bay Labrador. While issues related to housing, childcare, economic growth and prosperity are priority concerns in all communities each comes with a different history and context. For example, Thompson is booming but inadequate infrastructure is a barrier to economic growth, prosperity and ensuring basic standards are met for all. In La Loche, the absence of economic activity and money for housing causes housing problems. Happy Valley — Goose Bay offers an example of a pre–boom environment in which the community is anticipating a boom and seeks ways to prepare for it.

Click here to view the full article

CRIAW Launches exciting new 5–year research project: FemNorthNet
by Jane Stinson

June 2010

CRIAW launches an exciting new 5–year research project called FemNorthNet to understand the effects of economic transformations on women’s lives in Canada’s North in an increasingly globalized economy.

FemNorthNet stands for Feminist Northern Network, a community–university research alliance. The network includes 2 municipal officials, 6 community–based organizations, 3 national organizations, and 9 researchers from 6 universities.

Click here to view the full article

FemNorthNet research initiatives looks at challenges facing Northern women

June 16, 2010

Thompson Citizen
Page: 6

Section: News
Byline: Miranda Leybourne
Source: The Citizen

Churchill NDP MP Niki Ashton took a break from the House of Commons in Ottawa to fly to Thompson June 9 to moderate a public discussion put on by FemNorthNet looking at challenges facing women who live in Northern communities.

Click here to view full article