Impacts According to Interviewees CH11 - Hydro-Québec · 2013-11-28 · FG11) 5 Impacts According to Interviewees CH11 Identification / Comments on impacts Source of impacts •

FG11)5

Impacts According to IntervieweesCH11

Identification / Comments on impacts Source of impacts

• Permanent loss of landbase• 3% of the trapline area (60,7 km2) has been flooded on its south

eastern part: 2,2% of land and 0,8% of natural water plans.

• Flooding of campsites• The campsites located along the canoe routes coming from the

Kanaaupscow Post and the canoe route following theKanaaupscow River have been flooded.

• Flooding of birth site• The birth site located on the La Grande Rivière shore on CH13

has been flooded.

• Flooding of valued areas• The rapids and the portage located at the south eastern

extremity of Wawa Lake has been half flooded.• The storage place located on an island in the water arm south of

the valued portage was flooded along with hunting equipmentthat was stored in it, notably the tallyman’s riffle.

• Loss of travelling routes• The trapline is no longer accessible by canoe from the

community.

• Loss of trapping areas• The prime trapping areas along the rivers and creeks close to

Wawa Lake have been flooded.

• Loss of fishing sites• No more fishing is done in Bailloud Lake and along the river

linking the Kanaaupscow River and Wawa Lake.

• Decrease of available resources• A lot of beavers, muskrats and bears were flooded by the

impoundment of the reservoir.

• Loss of harvesting area• The waterfowl hunting area located along the river linking the

Kanaaupscow River to Wawa Lake has been flooded.

Impoundment ofRobert-Bourassa

Reservoir

• Worsened navigation conditions/Delayed access to trapline• Travelling on the reservoir was impossible during the few years

preceding and following the impoundment.• Travelling on the reservoir was unsafe until about 5 to 6 years

after the impoundment. It took time for the debris to be cleanedby the current.

Existence ofRobert-Bourassa

Reservoir

FG11)6



after the impoundment. It took time for the debris to be cleanedby the current.

• The trapline users have to wait for a day or two sometimes forthe wind to calm down before travelling on the reservoir,because in such a big water plan the waves are very big when itis windy.

• It is impossible to travel on the reservoir in the dark because ofthe unreliable and unpredictable conditions. It is not liketravelling on natural water plans that one knows well.

• Three stumps, debris and floating islands represent navigationobstacles, more so when the reservoir level is low.

• Loss of security of snowmobile trail/Adaptation to iceconditions

• It is dangerous to travel on the reservoir at night because of theobstacles sticking out of the ice and because of big crackscreated by the fluctuation of water in the reservoir.

• They made a snowmobile trail not going through the reservoirand built a camp for the travellers along it in order to avoid thebad (slushy) winter travelling conditions on the reservoir.

• Facilitated Access• Since it became safer to travel on it, to access the trapline by

the reservoir became easier and less costly than by plane.

• Decrease of trapping activities for the years following theimpoundment• The trapping activities decreased on the trapline during two

years of the impoundment and the four to five years following it,until it became fairly safe to travel on the reservoir.

• Loss of income• The loss of the prime trapping areas in rivers and creeks close

to Wawa Lake represent a loss of income for the trapline usersand for the younger generations.

• Modified fishing sites• More pikes are fished in Wawa Lake because some of the fish

from the reservoir manage to pass over the half flooded rapidsinto the lake.

• Decrease of fish (pike) consumption because of mercury• The trapline users limit their pike consumption because of

mercury.

FG11)7



mercury.

• Avoidance of impacted area• No fishing is done in the reservoir because of the fear of

mercury contamination.

• Decrease of available resources• There are hardly any muskrats on the trapline since the project.• There are no more beaver in the reservoir area.

• Gain of new waterfowl hunting areas• Since the existence of the reservoirs, the geese fly further inland

and more geese are found on the trapline. Geese huntingactivities have increased a lot on the trapline. According to theinterviewees, the increase of the geese population further inlandwould also be due to a natural cycle.

• Broken equipment• Four years ago the tallyman had broken a motor while travelling

on the reservoir. The water level was low and he hit a stillstanding tree stump.

• Lack of consultation process• The project had been decided and done behind the people’s

back and that is why they had to go to court against HQ and thegovernment. The Crees have not been consulted and were notconsidered as they should have been. They had no choice butto sign the JBA as the works were being done anyway.

• Lack of impact studies on land use before the project• Studies on land use should have been done before the project

and before the signing of the agreement.

CommunicationProcess

Interviewees Evaluation of La Grande Complex Remedial Measures and Works

Measure or work Evaluation and comments

Renewal cutting (southeastern part of thetrapline)

• The tallyman looked for two of them but he could notfind them. Joseph Pepabano believes that the peopleresponsible for making the contract did not do the workand that they keep the money without doing the works.

• The tallyman found a third site where renewal cuttingwas done but no moose were there and he does notsee the interest of such a measure in this area as it isnot suited for a moose habitat.

FG11)8

was done but no moose were there and he does notsee the interest of such a measure in this area as it isnot suited for a moose habitat.

Cleared tributaries (closeto the valued portagearea)

• It helped for navigation, but clearing was done only inthe eastern end of the water arm south of the portageand should have been done in the rest of the riveralso.

• SEBJ did not informed any body about this mitigationwork.

Dyke

• In 1989, HQ proposed to build a kind of dyke in orderto impedes the fish coming from the reservoir to enterWawa Lake, but the talks ended at some point and theworks have never been done. HQ never came out withthe plans and the project still at the same point.

• The interviewees recommend to go on with thisproject.

Comments

• HQ should have asked them where to do themitigation measures and should have give them thecontracts. It would have been more useful and wouldnot have been a waste of money.

• Some mitigation measures were practically of no usebecause the trapline users were not consulted for theirrealisations.

FG11)9

Interviewees Evaluation of Other Measures and Works


Trapping out Program

• They could not trap all the beavers during the trappingout program as there were too many and many ofthem were drowned.

• HQ paid for the transportation and for the equipmentrequired for the trapping out.

• There are no more beavers around the reservoir.

Beaver Re loca t ionProgram

• It occurred after the impoundment had started andthey could not save all the beavers trying to escape.Joseph was very sad to see baby beavers swimmingbehind the canoes, trying to escape. They broughtsome to higher ground but many lodges could not besaved.

Other comments

• More mitigation measures should be done on theirtrapline to compensate for the amount of land theyhave lost because of the flooding. They have lostmajor beaver harvesting areas from which theyobtained income in the past. HQ should find ways tohelp them use the land.

• Cree people should be more involved in all themitigation measures that are going to be realised inthe future.

Suggested Mitigation Measures

• 1) To build goose ponds along the ex-Kanaaupscow River where geese and duckswere hunted during the spring before the project.

• 2) To build a new portage, accessible by wheelchair.

• 3) To do renewal cutting and cleaning of flooding debris (to be done every year) onthe shorelines for moose yards, feeding areas for waterfowl, ptarmigan and rabbit.

• 4) To build a dyke at the portage south of Wawa Lake in order to impede thereservoir waters (along with the pike coming from the reservoir) to flow into WawaLake if the reservoir level increases with the EM-1-A Project or any other project.

• 5) To build shelters for emergency situations along the shores of the Robert-Bourassa Reservoir for the people travelling.

• 6) To get a new motor to replace the one that was broken while travelling on thereservoir.

• 7) To have a covered boat, a kind of ferry service for safe transportation on theRobert-Bourassa Reservoir.

• 8) The trapline users already mentioned some works to be done to ApatissiwinCorporation such as moose yards, trails and boat routes.

FG11)10

Corporation such as moose yards, trails and boat routes.



• Easier access and increased presence of non-Cree hunters• The roads to the dikes on the reservoir allow many non-Cree hunters to

access the trapline.• The tallyman and other trapline users have an easier access by the

road.

• Security concerns and modified hunting activities due to increasedpresence of non-Cree hunters

• The trapline users still go to the trapline during the moose-huntingseason (September and October) but feel it is dangerous because thereare too many non-Cree hunters. It is to a point that the tallyman feelshe should avoid going to the trapline.

• Non-Natives feel resentful when they cross trapline users. Crees feelthey are seen as if they were trespassing.

• Limited access to goose hunting areas on the reservoir shores• The roads to the dikes on the reservoir are blocked with locked gates

and therefore the trappers cannot go to the shore by truck where gooseis very abundant.

• Loss of beaver trapping areas• The area where the road has been built was a very resourceful area for

beavers. Now, they are gone.

• Easier access and loss of control of the tallyman• The tallyman feels that since the road was opened, anybody can go

trapping into his territory whereas the tallyman and the other appointedtrappers were supposedly the only ones authorised to trap beaver.

• Cabins were damaged and equipment has been stolen from campsites.

Road to the dikeson La Grande 3

Reservoir

• Lack of information• The CH18 tallyman was not informed that the trapline would be

flooded.

Communicationprocess



Plantation and seeding inborrow pits

• The tallyman thinks that this as a good measure.


• Build a cabin on Kauskatikakamaw and on Mintischiminan lakes.

• Clean up and transform the gravel pits into goose ponds.

• Re-slash and clean the snowmobile trails.

• Allow the access to the trappers through the roads to the dikes. Unlock the gates.



• Loss of land base and water plans• Loss of the Griault River area on the northern border of the trapline.

La Grande 2Reservoir

• Decrease of fish quality and quantity• The quality and quantity of fish has diminished in adjacent Lac de la

Montagne du Pin. The tallyman attributes this change to the reservoirthat connects to the lake through a creek.

• Loss of beaver resources• As the Pachano brothers, former tallymen of CH18 and CH19, used to

trap together in both traplines, they have less beaver to share sinceCH19 has been heavily flooded (67%). The beaver resourcedramatically decreased on CH18, following the construction of thedikes. For many years, there was hardly any signs of beaver on thetrapline. Still today, there are no signs of beaver on the shores of thereservoir (on CH19), an area that was very resourceful prior to theproject.

• Increased pressure on resources/ Loss of trapping potential• Due to the decrease of beaver resource on CH18 following the

impoundment of La Grande 3 reservoir, combined with the presenceon CH18 of the displaced trappers of the flooded CH19 trapline, thetrapline users had to stop trapping beaver from 1995 to 2002 to let theresource reproduce.


(outside thetrapline)


Identification / Comments on impactsS o u r c e o fimpacts

• Permanent loss of land base• Near one fourth of the trapline has been flooded, corresponding

principally to the major trapping areas.

• Loss of trapping resources• Ever since the impoundment of the reservoir, the beaver has

disappeared from the trapline. All the good areas along therivers have been flooded.

• Loss of resources• Muskrat has been driven away from its habitat. There are no

more on the trapline.• Grouse population has decreased since the rivers have been

flooded.

• Limited access to the trapline• The access to the trapline by snowmobile is compromised

because La Grande River doesn’t freezes-up.

• Flooding of burial site• The burial of a tallyman’s child has been flooded by the

reservoir.

• Unsafe navigation conditions• The navigation on the reservoir is still hazardous. There are

many stumps and in the reservoir, large land pieces are rising tothe surface.

• Decrease of fish quality• The fish is unhealthy in the reservoir and in the affected water

bodies.

• Aggrieved feelings• The tallyman misses the areas that have been flooded.


• Easier access and increased presence of other users• Other Crees and non-Cree hunters easily access the trapline

through the road.Transtaïga Road

• Lack of communication• The tallyman wasn’t aware of some mitigation measures done

on his trapline. Moreover, he doesn’t know how they are helpinghim.

• The tallyman didn’t receive any information about the impactsrelated to the impoundment of the reservoir.




Seeding in borrow pits

• According to the tallyman, the type of plants used is notadequate to recreate a habitat for ptarmigans. He thinksthat the type of seeding used was a big mistake. Therewould be more ptarmigans if the SEBJ had seededanother kind of willow.

Net fishing area • The tallyman wasn’t aware of this measure. Moreover, hedoesn’t fish in the reservoir or affected areas.

General comment • The tallyman doesn’t know how the mitigation measuresare helping him.



Fibreglass canoe• After the impoundment of the reservoir, the tallyman

received a fibreglass canoe from the CTA. After all thisyears, he’s needing a new one.


• Make a portage from Gavaudan Bay until a lake farther inland. This would allow thetallyman to go to his campsite by boat.

• Open a snowmobile trail where before there was a traditional trail.

• Maintain open the snowmobile trail from campsite #1 to Lake Tilly by cutting theovergrown vegetation.



• Flooding of campsites• The campsites located along the river linking the La Grande

Rivière to Tilly Lake and along the Laforge River and itsenlargement were flooded.

• Flooding of valued areas• The valued lake trout fishing area located in the enlargement of

the Laforge River was flooded.• The valued campsite and lake where the grand-father used to

live has been flooded.

• Flooding of birth sites• The tallyman’s birth site which was located on the shore of the

enlargement of the Laforge River was flooded by the LG-4Reservoir.

• The tallyman’s sister birth site which was located at thetemporary camp #17 was flooded by the La Grande 3 Reservoir.

• Flooding of burial sites• The burial site which was located on the shore of the

enlargement of the Laforge River was flooded by the La Grande-4 Reservoir (the ones that have been identified in addition toother ones, before their time).

Impoundment ofLa Grande 3 and

La Grande 4Reservoirs

• Decrease of available resources• Many beavers, bears, caribou and moose were drown by the

impoundment of the reservoir because it was done during thefall and winter. (Probably occurred also for La Grande 3 and 4).

Robert-BourassaReservoir (noton the trapline)

• Loss of fishing sites• Many fishing lakes have been flooded by the two reservoirs,

notably the walleye fishing lakes on the western part of thetrapline. (No walleye were found on the eastern part of thetrapline).

• Modified fishing activities and fish consumption due tomercury• No fishing is done by the trapline users into the reservoirs as

they were warned about mercury.• The trapline users almost do not eat pike anymore as they are

mainly found in the reservoirs.• The fishing activities have been relocated to unaffected lakes.

Existence of LaGrande 3 and La

Grande 4Reservoirs



• Loss of harvesting areas• The two goose hunting areas along the Laforge River and the

river flowing between Tilly Lake and the La Grande Rivière werelost.

• Loss of trapping areas• No beavers are found around the reservoir shores.

• Increase of available resources• The geese gradually migrated further east since the mid ‘50s,

and it seems that the presence of the reservoirs inland wouldhave intensified this phenomenon.

• Concerns about the reduction of income for the full timetrappers• The flooding of parts of traplines represents a loss of income for

the trappers who make a living out of the resources of the land.

• Loss of river access to trapline• It is no longer possible to reach the trapline by the canoe routes.

• Worsened snowmobile travelling conditions• The trapline users had to make a new snowmobile trail not

passing on the La Grande 4 Reservoir to reach camp #21because of the bad travelling conditions on the reservoir.

• Ice piles-up along the reservoir shores because of the drawdown.

• It is dangerous to get stuck in the slush as water flows over theice of the reservoir, flowing through the cracks of the broken ice.

• Worsened navigation conditions• The tributary mouths of the bays along the reservoirs are

blocked with wood debris and tree stumps are lying in the water,blocking the access the shores.

• The navigation conditions were particularly dangerous duringthe five years following the impoundment.

• The portage of the canoe route going to Tilly Lake from the LaGrande-4 Reservoir is sometimes inaccessible because of thewood debris blocking its access. The trapline users keepcleaning the area but the dead trees keep coming with the waterlevel fluctuations.

• Increased expenses related to equipment



• Big canoes are needed to travel on the reservoirs because ofthe big waves when it is windy, while smaller canoes are usedfor the inland water bodies.

• Restricted access to trapline• Some parts of the trapline are accessible by canoe only when

the water level is high in the La Grande 3 Reservoir, due todebris blocking the access to water arms.

• Wood debris block the access to the portage along the canoeroute passing on La Grande 4 Reservoir going to Tilly Lake.

• Facilitated access to trapline (new access road)• The trapline has been easier to access since the construction of

the Transtaïga Road.• The tallyman who is a seasonal worker can go on the trapline

anytime, even for just a week-end.

• Easier access and increased presence of other users• A negative impact of the proximity of the road is the increased

traffic on the trapline. Many outsiders (mainly HQ workers fromLa Grande 4) come to fish in Tilly Lake.

• Increased presence of other users and messing up of thetrapline• Outsiders coming to fish on the trapline leave a lot of garbage.

• Easier access and increased pressure on resources• Because so many people are fishing in Tilly Lake, the trapline

users are concerned about the fact that the lake may be fishedout.

• The Transtaïga Road became a hunting corridor for caribouhunters. Too many caribou are killed according to the tallymanand some carcasses are left almost untouched by the road.

• The problems with the caribou hunters come from individualsgoing to hunt without a guide.

• Easier access and increased presence of other users• Hydro-Quebec workers come to fish in Tilly Lake by the old

winter road, using 4-wheelers.• Caribou hunters from the Mirage outfitting camp come along the

old winter road to hunt even if they do not have a permit to huntin this area. They represent a nuisance for the trapline users.

Transtaïga Road(not on the

trapline)



• Debris left behind• Gas drums were left around the locations of workers’ camps

around Tilly Lake. They were cleaned by the trapline users fouror five years ago during a clean-up program.

• Tilly Lake is becoming polluted, the water not being as clear asbefore, notably because of the old gas drums that were floatingin it.

ConstructionPeriod

• Lack/Deficient information on the impacts• The information sessions that took place prior to the project

were not sufficient. The interviewees say that they did not knowmuch about the project.

• The trapline users learned that their trapline would be floodedwhen someone showed them a map of the projected La Grande3 Reservoir.

• Mistrust created by a deficient communication process• The interviewees assert that they were given many promises

which were not fulfilled and they think that the same thing willhappen with EM-1 and Rupert.

InformationProcess


Measure or work Evaluation and commentsCleared tributary mouth(WapusukatinastikwRiver)

• They do not have comments as they do not go there.



Trapping out Program

• It was not a good thing to do. It would have been better torelocate the beavers, specially for the Robert-BourrassaReservoir.

• The trapping out did not last enough time, it was done onlyduring the fall (for the Robert-Bourassa Reservoir)preceding the impoundment and it should have been doneover 3 to 5 years before the impoundment in order to beefficient.

• Some trapping out was intended by two or three familiesbefore the impoundment of La Grande 3 Reservoir but itwas not enough to trap all the beaver that had to betrapped.

Relocation Program(Robert-Bourassa and LaGrande 3 Reservoirs)

• When they were told about the program the impoundmenthad started and it was too late to relocate the beaver.

• They should have been told four or five years before.

Compensation Program

• The interviewees consider that the compensations for theimpacted trappers were not sufficient and that HQ shoulddo more for the people who lost their source of livelihood,notably finance the accessibility of the land.


• 1) To clear the tributaries mouths along the reservoirs shores for navigation.

• 2) To be provided with big boats and motors to access the inside lakes around thereservoirs.



• Loss of resources• Since the impoundment of the reservoir, there weren’t any signs

of beaver in the area. John and Eddie Pash stopped trapping.

• Loss of trapping areas• The impoundment of the reservoir has flooded the most

resourceful area for trapping, along the Vincelotte and LaGrande Rivers.

• Unsafe navigation conditions• The tree stumps and the debris in the reservoir endanger the

navigation.• When the water level is low, the debris in the reservoir block the

navigation routes. The tallyman has to make a long detour inorder to access his harvesting areas.

• Unsafe snowmobile travelling conditions• The water level fluctuation creates crevices and air pockets

under the ice that represent a clear danger for the trapperswhen travelling by snowmobile.

• The ice on the reservoir is often very slushy because of thewater level fluctuations.

• Flooding of birth and burial sites• The burials of the tallyman’s grandmother and sister have been

flooded by the reservoir.• Eddie Pash’s and his daughter birth sites have been flooded by

the reservoir.

• Decrease of fish quality due to mercury• John and Eddie think that, in general, the mercury in the

reservoir has affected the fish. They see difference in its qualityin comparison to the period before the project. They argue thatpike was the most affected and white cysts were visible on thisspecies.

• Modified fishing activities due to mercury• John doesn’t fish in the reservoir anymore. He did for a certain

number of years until the studies about mercury were released.He feels that people were fooled by the fact that the fish werebigger in the reservoir with lot of fat but “at the time theydiscovered about the mercury, for some people it was almosttoo late”. For instance, Eddie’s uncle was forced to stop fishingbecause he has reached the maximum level of mercury in hisblood. Those that have lower levels of mercury can continuefishing, says John Pash. Now, the mercury level is going downas it’s washed out but John is concerned about the possible




discovered about the mercury, for some people it was almosttoo late”. For instance, Eddie’s uncle was forced to stop fishingbecause he has reached the maximum level of mercury in hisblood. Those that have lower levels of mercury can continuefishing, says John Pash. Now, the mercury level is going downas it’s washed out but John is concerned about the possibleincrease of its level with the development of new projects.

• Easier access to the trapline

• The existence of the route facilitated the access to the trapline.The tallyman relies on his truck to access his trapline or getclose to it after the snowfalls.

• Increased presence of other users• The road facilitates the access to other hunters, both Crees and

non-Crees. With other hunters on his trapline, the tallyman feelsthat the management of the wildlife is harder than before.

• The tallyman has lost some equipment at his campsite.

• Decrease of fish quality• The fish quality has decreased in all the reported fishing sites

outside the reservoir. According to Eddie, the construction of theroad and the increase of human activities in the area are thecauses of this change.

Transtaiga roadand La Grande-4

Dam road

• Security concerns• The tallyman doesn’t use the transmission lines as a

snowmobile trail because he doesn’t trust them.

Transmissionlines

• Unsafe navigation conditions• The navigation conditions have changed on La Grande River

because of the reservoir. There are lot of debris and tree stumpsall along the shores.

• Loss of equipment• An irregular water level fluctuation carried away a 24-foot canoe

that usually was stored high above the water level.

• Worsen harvesting conditions• The La Grande River shores are difficult to access by boat

because there are lots of debris and tree stumps. The tallymancan’t land his boat when he goes hunting along the river .


(La Grande Riversection)



• Lack of communication• John’s father didn’t know the extent of the upcoming flooding.

He never thought that there would be a “massive flooding” of histrapline.

• For many years, people fished in the reservoir but later on, theywere informed about the mercury contamination and had tostop. For some people, the mercury concentration in the bloodwas too high and they had to stop fishing definitely.




Seeding in borrow pits

• John Pash thinks that seeding willows in borrow pits isn’treally a good mitigation measure because in those openareas, geese used to gather. Instead, seeding only grasswould be a good measure.

Boat landing ramps

• The boat-landing ramp on La Grande River is too steepand the river has washed out the gravel put on it. Whenthe water level goes down, boat ramp is off shore.

• The boat ramp built near the dike QA-04 is not really usedbecause it’s too exposed to the wind and is too steep.



Trapping out program

• The tallyman thinks that a trapping out program doesn’thave a positive outcome. On the long run, the result will bethe same because the trappers don’t get richer. Theincome for the years to come is compromised because theresource is depleted.

• A relocation program in unaffected areas would be moreprofitable for the wildlife and for the tallyman.


• Build two boat-landing sites at both ends of dike QA-02 where they would be lessexposed to the wind than the current boat ramp.

• Rebuild the boat-landing site on La Grande River because it’s too steep.

• Re-seed grass instead of willows in the borrow pits.

• Open a snowmobile trail from the campsite to the “Pike Lakes”.

• Build a portage in order to have access by boat to a resourceful fishing site.

5

Impacts According to IntervieweesCH33 (VC1)


• Loss of valued areas• Loss of a traditional net fishing and community gathering area

at the first rapid.

• Loss of route on the La Grande river• Shallow areas are developing on the La Grande River in

between the islands and the shore.• The ice condition is unstable and the tallyman and other

users aren’t able to cross the river anymore or to circulatealong the shore on snowmobile.

• Navigation conditions on the estuary and in the James Bayare affected• Shallow areas are developing in many places on the estuary,

specially in between the islands and the shore.• Have to wait for high tide to go out in the bay.

• Continuous change of water level on the La Grande riverand increased flow• The beavers lodging along the La Grande river died or moved

out.• The erosion along the river banks has increased since the

project.• An artificial beach had to be made on an inland lake because

people can’t swim anymore in the river.

• Loss of resources• Fishing activities have been abandoned in the La Grande

river and other affected water bodies.• The trapping area between the river shore and the islands is

lost. The beaver died or moved away.• During the winter, can’t have access to fire logs along the

shores because the ice is unstable or there’s not ice at all.

La Grande-1generating

station, dam andspillway

• Loss of land base• The trapline was partially flooded.

• Navigation conditions are affected• There are lots of logs floating around the boat ramps and

difficult the access to the reservoir and the navigation on it.

La Grande-1reservoir

6



• Community relocation• The community was moved from the island of Fort George to

the mainland and Chisasibi was founded on the trapline.• The pressure on the resources from the community members

is felt by the tallyman. Small game is not as abundant asbefore since the community moved.

• Loss of resources• Since the dam was built, many people stopped fishing at the

first rapid because they were worried about mercuryintoxications.

• The reservoirs in the hinterland have an impact on the geeseflying routes and ever since, there are less geese along theJames Bay shore.

• Loss of valued areas• Burial site on the island upstream La Grande-1 is flooded.

The whole island disappeared.• Loss of campsite on the island upstream La Grande-1.

• Travel on ice on the James Bay and La Grande river estuarywere affected• Since the construction of the Robert-Bourassa dam, the ice

condition deteriorated more rapidly on the river estuary andopen water occurred earlier in the spring.

• Ever since it was risky and almost impossible to cross theriver on snowmobile.

• Trappers were forced to go further into the bay onsnowmobile to have a safe route to the northern coast of theestuary.

Robert-Bourassadam and reservoir

(until 1994)

7



• Loss of campsite• A main campsite was destroyed when the road was under

construction.

• Increased presence of other users and pressure onresources• Some community members have built their camps along the

road without the approval of the tallyman.• The community members take the road everyday to go

hunting small game and fishing on VC1.

• Loss of resources• The maintenance of the road destroys the beaver dams and

lodges forcing them to move to other areas and prevents thetallyman to trap them.

• Facilitated access to campsites• Since five out of seven camps are along the road and now

the access to them is easier.• Full time workers can go to their camps by the road during

the weekends and bring their wives and kids.• The road allows to envision the development of new activities

and new source of income with the creation of a family ownedcultural camp.

• Alternative access route to the trapline• Since the road is opened, the tallyman barely uses the boat

on La Grande river downstream of the powerhouse to go tohis trapline.

Chisasibi road(1974)

• The road facilitates the access to the bay. At the end of theroad, the tallyman and many community members leave theirmotor boats and is their starting navigation point.

Road fromChisasibi to the

James Bay

• The transmission lines offers a new snowmobile trail for thetallyman and other trappers.

Transmissionlines: LG 1-Chisasibi

LG 1-WemindjiLG 1-Radisson

substation

8



• Lack of communication• The tallyman and the other trappers weren’t informed about

the upcoming impacts on the La Grande river after theconstruction of La Grande-1 and Robert-Bourassa generatingstation and reservoir.

• The tallyman wasn’t informed that a portion of his traplinewould be flooded. Eddie Sam, his nephew, was informed.

• The tallyman and the other trappers aren’t aware if and whenthe sandpit and the gravel used by Hydro-Québec will becleaned.




Signs advertisingunstable shores

• The tallyman saw them but didn’t have any comment on them.

Boat ramp at LaGrande-1 generatingstation

• CH33 trappers don’t use the boat ramps right downstream andupstream a of the powerhouse, they rather use the one fartherupstream, at the mouth of the Achazi River. However, this boatramp is not easily accessible due to the presence of logsfloating on the reservoir and pilling up around the ramp.

Spawning areasimplemented onAchazi River

• The tallyman thinks that they’re not very effective.

9


• The tallyman would like the gravel and sand pits to be covered because theyrepresent a clear danger when travelling by snowmobile since they’re close to thetrails.

• The tallyman requests to ameliorate the waterfowl habitat along the shore of theJames Bay, converting an overgrown area into a goose feeding ground as before.

• The users request that portages on Achazi River be cleared.

• The users request that the floating logs around the boat ramps on the La Grande-1reservoir be collected.

• The users request that the road banks be ploughed at the crossing points with thesnowmobile trails in order to level the difference.

• To open a snowmobile trail along La Grande river southern shore, upstream of thepowerhouse.

• To finish the siding of the cabin at campsite #9.

• The tallyman requests that a channel be dug at the river mouth in order to haveaccess to campsite #4 on the James Bay coast.

4



• Loss security of snowmobile trail/Adaptation to ice conditions• Crossing the La Grande River by snowmobile is not possible

anymore due to the increased water temperature and theincrease flow.

• Loss of easy snowmobile access to the campsite on thenorthern shore of the La Grande River.• The access to the main camp #4 has been highly complicated

because of the ice conditions on the river, as it was uneasy togo from the Long Point Road.

• Decrease of available resources• Decrease of the spring renewal of beaver and otter population

that flowed downstream with the spring thaw, since thepresence of LG-2 Dam, and also since the decrease of beaverpopulation inland due to the intensive trapping that took placebefore the impoundment of the reservoirs.

• Worsen harvesting conditions• With the variations of the water level in the La Grande River, the

animals trail runs further away from the shore in higher parts.Bears notably are therefore harder to see and to harvest as thehunters do not have their elevated point of view along the shoreanymore.

• Avoidance of impacted areas• The trapline users stopped exploiting the resources along the La

Grande River for two years after the construction of LG-2because they were concerned about the impact of the project onthe riparian resources.

• Decrease in fishing activities and/or Fish consumptionbecause of mercury• The trapline users completely stopped to fish on the La Grande

River (that was the main fishing area before the project).

• Relocation of camps because of modified environment• It is after the construction of LG-2 that the trapline users built

new camps along the Chisasibi Road. The location of activitiesmoved south then from along the river to along the road.


Dam andReservoir

5



• Loss of possibility to transmit traditional knowledge• Reginald Sam regrets not to have had the opportunity to go

hunting with the elders along the La Grande River during thewinter, in the once most valued hunting area, as he has alwaysbeen told by the elders not to travel on the river for safetyreason.

• Changes in diet• The interviewees relate the diet change to the important

decrease in fishing activities on the trapline.

• Loss of equipment• Loss of a canoe left on the La Grande River shore that has been

carried away by a sudden increased flow.

• Gain of new harvested resources• There is an increase of moose population on the trapline partly

because the animals are forced west by the reservoirs.

• Gain of new waterfowl hunting areas• There is more open water earlier in the spring on the La Grande

River since the project, so the trapline users can go to huntgeese by boat earlier in the spring.

• Health issue• The elders relate the breathing problems appearing in the

community to the fog that is always present on the water sincethe project because of the warmer water. This notably increasethe humidity in the air and makes the cold cutting straightthrough the bodies.

• Flooding of campsites• At least six campsites have been flooded along the La Grande

River.

• Flooding of birth sites• At least six birth sites have been flooded along the La Grande

River.

• Loss of harvesting areas on the shoreline• The trapline’s most valued harvesting area along the La Grande

River have been flooded. It is qualified as devastation by aninterviewee. According to the previous tallyman, 80% of theresources were collected in this area.

Impoundment ofLa Grande-1

Reservoir

6



• Many bear dens and beaver lodges have been flooded becausethe impoundment started during the fall.

• Very good feeding grounds for small game, notably the willowsthe ptarmigan feed on have been flooded along the river, alongwith open gravel used by the ptarmigan to digest on the northernbanks of the river.

• Aggrieved feelings• The tallyman’s wife regrets the big trees that were cut along the

river during the clearing done in the reservoir area.• The interviewees are sad when thinking about the valued area

lost along the La Grande River and the tallyman’s son feel angerwhen thinking about the important sites of his family’s historythat he will never know. They feel that this cannot be describedin words.

• Loss of river access to trapline from the community

• Since the construction of LG-1, the trapline is no moreaccessible by boat from the community.

• Worsened navigation condition/Increase expenses• The trapline users had to acquire at least four 24 feet motor boat

in order to travel on the reservoir and carry the members of theincreasing size of the Sam’s clan.

• Decrease of available resources• Decrease of beaver, otter, weasel, ptarmigan and rabbit

population on the trapline because of the impacts on theirhabitats along the La Grande River.

• Significant decrease of lynx population following the decrease inrabbit population.

• Muskrats disappeared from the trapline after the destruction oftheir riparian habitats.

Existence of LaGrande-1

Reservoir andDam

7



• The tallyman is aware that before LG-1, a lots of pikes werefound in the mouth of the creeks flowing into the La GrandeRiver but today there is no more pikes in these creeks’ mouths.

• Increase expenses• The trapline users have to buy more food from the store partly

because of a diminution of the hunting potential.

• Changes in diet• According to the interviewees, diet change is related to the

diminution in hunting potential on the trapline.

• Access road to the trapline• The road facilitates the access for the trapline users as well as

for the children going to school.• Location of 17 camps owned by the Sam’s clan along the road

(built in the early ‘80s).

• Road Access/ Increase presence of other users• Many week-end users are present on the trapline. The trapline is

easily accessible for other community members as well as forpeople from Radisson.

• The trapline users consider that the easier access to the traplinefor the Sam’s clan is a positive impact while the easier accessfor other users is a negative impact.

• There is a non-Cree camp on the trapline and the users areopposed to the presence of this camp.

Chisasibi Road(1974)

• Road Access/Increase pressure on resources• More people have access to the trapline since the existence of

the road and consequently some over hunting is done.• Few wild food is brought back by the trapline users to share

with the community members as they hardly get enough for theirown family.

• Road Access/Loss of control of the tallyman• The tallyman has difficulties managing the resources of the

trapline because people are not always telling him before goingto hunt on the trapline.

• Road Access/Loss of security, confidence and tranquility• Equipment was stolen from the camps along the road. The

trapline users have to hide the snowmobiles in the buch forsafety reasons.

8



trapline users have to hide the snowmobiles in the buch forsafety reasons.

• Modified hunting activities due to an increased presence non-Cree hunters• The trapline users go to hunt away from the road area during the

moose and caribou hunting season for non-Crees during the fall.They are considered dangerous hunters by the trapline users asthey shoot anything, being desperate to kill something duringtheir short presence on the land.

• Corridor hunting/New harvesting areas• Goose hunting is done in swampy areas south of the road and

many goose ponds are under construction along the road.

• New possibility to transmit the traditional knowledge• The easy access to the trapline help for the transmission of

traditional knowledge to the children going to school.

• Changes in diet• The trapline users consider that the change in the diet is related

to the decrease of the hunting potential on the trapline, that ispartly due to the increased numbers of users.

• Increased expenses• More food has to be bought from the store because of the

diminution of harvesting activities partly due to the overexploitation of the trapline.

• Snowmobile trail for other users• Hydro-Quebec workers snowmobile riding club’s has a private

trail, linking La Grande-1 and Robert-Bourassa powerhouses,that goes under the transmission line. The trapline users maybe charged if they dare to use it without paying the fees. Theyare totally opposed to the presence of these joy riders on theirtrapline. It is frustrating and insulting for them to have theserules imposed on them as they consider that the traplineactivities are part of their economical activities and way of life.

Transmissionline

9



• Lack/Deficient information on the impacts• The previous tallyman was not properly informed about the

project and its impacts including the road.• The present tallyman does not feel that he received enough

information about La Grande-1.


• Lack of adapted information on subsidies and programs• They feel that the expenses related to the land use have

increased since the project partly because they have theimpression that they were always considered out of thesubsidies and programs criteria.

• The tallyman may have experienced difficulties in theunderstanding of all the new programs as he has not beenprepared to deal with such a system. Also, the other familymembers may not have paid enough attention to theseprograms to take advantage of them.

Subsidies andPrograms

10



Clear-cutting on LaGrande-1 Reservoir area

• It helped for navigation and for snowmobile travelling.• Nobody among the trapline users worked for it.

Warning signs for unstablebanks on the river shores

• They are not easy to see as they are too small and thevegetation covers them.

Maintained access road toa boat ramp

• The road is not well maintained as it is washed out insome areas.

Boat ramp• The ramp should be fixed; the area where they park the

vehicles to put the boat into the water is not well done.

Protected habitats for thefish to spawn onNecopastic River

• Tallyman is aware of them, but the trapline users do notfish there as trout is small . They have not been informedabout the advantages to fish for trout there.

11



Two beaver relocationsfinanced by the CTA havetaken place on thetrapline in the early ‘90s.

• It helped in the beaver population renewal, but there stillare less beavers on the trapline compared to before theconstruction of LG-2.

• The beavers were brought from the south and were putalong the road, but it would have been better to put themaway from the road, in less accessible areas.

Programs and Subsidies

• After the first phase, the tallyman was asked about whathe would like to get as mitigation measures. He asked fora canoe, a motor, a storage cabin and a trailer but neverreceived anything. According to him, SOTRAC gavepriority to the people having a reservoir on their trapline,but the tallyman considers that even if Robert-BourassaReservoir is not on his trapline, their most valued areaalong the river was affected by the project and he shouldhave received compensations.

• According to the trapline users, they cannot get CTAsubsidies for gas to go on their trapline because their landis considered too close to Chisasibi.

• According to Janie Sam, to receive CTA subsidies only forone camp (#28) was not enough “for all the mess that hasbeen done on our territory”.

• About the subsidies for plane fishing trips on unaffectedlakes as part of the Mercury Program after La Grande-2:The tallyman asked for it 5 or 6 years after the project butwas told that there was no money for them; he paid hisfishing trip himself and never bothered to ask again.

12


• 1) To fix the access road going to the tallyman’s camp #19.

• 2) To fix the access road going to the camps on Namapi Lake shore (to place backthe culverts under the road).

• 3) To build racks for canoes near the boat ramp.

• 4) To fix the boat ramp.

• 5) To build a storage cabin with a lock (instead of having to hide their equipment inthe bush).

• 6) To build bridges on snowmobile and 4-weelher trails.

• 7) To fix and maintain the snowmobile trail.

• 8) To build goose ponds.

• 9) To do a fish farm for trout in the Necopastic River.

• 10) To get outboard motor boats to travel on the La Grande-1 Reservoir (many ofthem are needed due to the increase in size of the Sam’s clan).

• 11) To hire people from the trapline to do the works on it.

• 12) To do muskrats relocation or fix riparian habitats for muskrats.

• 13) To inform the Waskaganish people properly about the impacts they will have tolive with if EM-1-A Project is done.

• 14) To consult the tallymen to choose the location of borrow pits when doing aproject, so that they could be done is good chosen spots for goose ponds right away.

5



• Permanent loss of land base• More than 40% of the land was flooded with the impoundment of

the reservoir. (37,7 % of land and 6,4% of water plans).• The tallyman feels that he’s being pushed to one side.

• Loss of resources• The beaver doesn’t stay on the reservoir shores because of the

water level fluctuation.• The number of beavers per lodge has diminished since the

project.• The most resourceful area on the trapline has been flooded.

Many beavers were lost with the impoundment of the reservoireven though there was a trapping out program.

• All the fish are mixed in the reservoir and the tallyman no longerfishes in the reservoir because he’s concerned about themercury.

• Loss of travelling route• The traditional navigation route on La Grande River has been

cut off with the construction of the Robert-Bourassa Dam.

• Worsened navigation conditions• The navigation on the reservoir is very dangerous because of

the stumps, rocks, and reefs underwater; nevertheless, thetallyman still navigates on the reservoir.

• Flooding of campsites• Many campsites have been flooded with the impoundment of the

reservoir.

• Flooding of burial and birth sites• Four burials and four birth sites disappeared underwater .

• Gain of new waterfowl hunting areas• With the impoundment of the reservoir, the geese migration

route has changed and now they’re very abundant in thereservoir area.

• Aggrieved feelings• The tallyman’s son feels “bad, sad and angry” because the

trapping areas are now underwater.

Robert-BourassaReservoir,

Powerhouse,Dam and dikes

6



• New access road to trapline• Now, the tallyman easily accesses the trapline by the road.

• Road Access/ Increased presence of other users• There are numerous caribou hunters accessing the trapline

through the road.• There are more than two-dozen non-native camps on the

trapline.• Other Natives from Chisasibi access the trapline for hunting and

fishing.

• Road Access/ Loss of control of the tallyman• The tallyman thinks that now it’s impossible to know who is on

the trapline.• Managing the resources on the land has become difficult with so

many hunters on the trapline and the tallyman is concernedabout the over killing of animals.

Route de la Baie-James

• Lack of communication• The tallyman was informed at the last minute that his trapline

would be flooded and he didn’t know to what extent.




Net fishing area on thereservoir

• Only the non-Crees fish on the reservoir and it’s not usedby Crees.

Multifunctional area • According to Samuel Cox, this area is completely uselessand he wonders for whom it was cleared?

Seeding in borrow pits • This is a good measure because there are many of them,everywhere.

Boat ramps made bySEBJ

• The boat ramps built on the reservoir shores are veryuseful to the trapline users.

River mouth clearing • Samuel Cox wasn’t aware of this measure.

7


• The tallyman would like to have better access ramps to the reservoir by improvingthose already existing because they’re too steep down and there’s lot of dead woodfloating around them.

• Build small bridges over the creeks on the snowmobile and 4-wheelers trail.

• Find a source of drinking water near Desaulniers Lake.

• Clean various areas from dead wood on the reservoir, on Duncan and DesaulniersLakes.

• Fix the access road leading to dike CH20 in order to have access to a small lakewhere there’s a good swimming place.

• Fix the road that was washed out by a creek between dyke CH20 and CH18.

• Build goose ponds and improve the waterfowl feeding areas.

• Clean up the shores of the river running into Duncan Lake from dead trees andstumps.

• Open a snowmobile trail from Radisson to La Grande River along KaminahikuschitinCreek.

3



• Loss of land base• The reservoir has flooded 23 km2 of land, corresponding to 1,5%

of the total surface.

• Loss of resources• The beaver population has greatly been affected near the

flooded area. Twenty years after the impoundment, the beaveris slowly colonising this sector once again.

• Avoidance of impacted area• Except for Samuel Kitty, the tallyman and the other trapline

users didn’t go back to the affected area.

• Modified fishing activities• Trapline users avoid fishing in Hélène, Kowskatehkakmow,

Kachipinikaw, and at the eastern sector of Beaver River,because they think that the mercury from the reservoir hasaffected the fish and because their quality and quantity greatlydecreased.

Robert-BourassaReservoir

• Easier access to the campsites• The traplines users have relocated several of their campsites

along the road and therefore they’re more accessible all yearlong.

Route de la BaieJames

• Loss of travelling route• The construction of the La Grande-1 Generating Station at the

first rapid blocks the traditional navigation route on La Grandeand Achazi rivers.

La Grande-1Generating

Station

• Debris left behind from the construction period• The tallyman came across big piles of wires left behind from the

period of construction of the transmission lines.

• Concerns about the quality of resources• The berries grow bigger and faster under the transmission lines

but the trapline users don’t dare to pick them because theymight be affected by the high voltage of the lines.

• Gain of new waterfowl hunting areas• The goose-flying pattern seems to follow the transmission lines

and therefore stop at the lakes along them where the traplineusers have new goose ponds.

Transmissionlines

4



• Lack of communication• The tallyman wasn’t informed about the upcoming flooding. He

only knew about the transmission lines but didn’t exactly knowwhere they would be.




Reforested borrow pit • The tallyman and the other interviewees didn’t have anycomment about this measure.


• Dig a navigation channel between Anaskutasich Island and the firm land and in frontof campsites 1 and 2.

• Clear the goose ponds near the coast.

• Build a road from the James Bay Road until Kachipinikaw Lake.

4

Impacts According to IntervieweesVC7 (CH39)

Identification / Comments on impactsSource ofimpacts

• Permanent loss of land base and water plans• 8,9% (235,2 km2) of the trapline area has been flooded. 7,2%

(190,3 km2) of land and 1,7% (44,9 km2) of natural water plans.

• Flooding of burial sites• A burial site located along the La Grande Rivière has been

flooded.

• Flooding of birth sites• Two birth sites located along the La Grande Rivière shores have

been flooded.

• Flooding of campsites• Many campsites have been flooded along the La Grande Rivière

shores.

• Loss of trapping areas• Prime trapping areas where many small lakes, good for beavers,

have been lost on the extreme western (LG-3) and extremeeastern (LG-4) part of the trapline.

• Decrease of available resources• Because the impoundment occurred during the winter, a lot of

beavers were drowned and the beaver population decreasedover the trapline. Many bears, otter, muskrat, weasel, etc… alsodied because of this.

• The flooding of the natural habitats along the La Grande Rivièreshores have affected the population of ptarmigan and rabbitwhich have decreased since then.

Impoundment ofLa Grande 3 and

La Grande 4Reservoirs

• Loss of fishing sites and spawning ground• A prime fishing area has been lost all along the La Grande

Rivière.

• Decrease of fishing and hunting activities• The variety of activities that were done along the La Grande

Rivière decreased after the project since the habitats andsources of food for different species have been destroyed. Thetrapline users are less busy than before on the river.

• For the trapline users the worst impact of the project is not to beable to practice the traditional activities as much as before.

• Decrease of fish and water quality• The tallyman says that the fish quality in the reservoir goes

down and down with the years.

Existence of LaGrande 3 and La

Grande 4Reservoirs

5



• The trapline users do not trust the quality of the water and of fishin the reservoirs because of many factors that may influenced itsquality: The grease that may be used for the maintenance of theturbines that goes into the water, the dead fish remains passingtrough the turbines staying into the water, the burial sites thatwere flooded meaning that human remains went into the wateralong with the unclean waters of all the stagnant ponds thatwere flooded.

• Increase of available resources• The trapline users see more bears today because bears are less

scattered over the land, being confined to a more limited spacebecause of the presence of the reservoirs.

• Loss of a travelling route• The trapline is no longer accessible by canoe from the

community.

• Loss of safe snowmobile trails/Adaptation to ice conditions• The La Grande Rivière does not freeze downstream from the

LG-4 Dam and the trapline users have to go far downstreamfrom the dam to be able to cross it.

• Facilitated access to trapline (new road access)• It is a lot faster to access the trapline since the existence of the

Transtaïga road (6-7 hours by truck instead of weeks by canoe).This represents an important advantage for the trapline userswho consider that it compensates for the negative impacts of theroad.

• It is possible to do more frequent return trips to the community.Make it possible to do more short trip to the trapline for him, hisfamily, workers…

• Increase Presence of other users• A Cree from Chisasibi asked the tallyman if he could put a camp

on his trapline.• Ten Non-Cree campsites are located on the trapline, close to the

Transtaïga Road.• People from all over the world come for fishing and moose and

caribou hunting.

• Loss of security, confidence and tranquility• During the caribou hunting season the trapline users avoid the

trapline because they do not feel safe. Too many people arearound shooting.

Transtaïga Road

6



around shooting.• Equipment has been stolen from camps: Notably many guns,

chainsaws and canoes.

7



• Disturbance from transmission lines noise• The noise of the transmission lines can be heard from almost

anywhere on the trapline. It is not peaceful anymore. Thetallyman does not enjoy as much as before to be on his traplinebecause of the noise that is constently heard from everywhere.

• Security concerns• The trapline users do not feel safe when they have activities in

the proximity of the transmission lines. They were told not tohave too many activities in the proximity of the lines, specially onrainy days because they can get shocks while holding a gun oranother metallic instrument.

• Bobby Ratt got a shock once when he touched his vehicle whilehunting in the vicinity of a transformer, and the trapline usersalso have seen lightening going from a transformer to their bushradio antenna.

• They do not use the maintenance road under the transmissionlines as a snowmobile trail because they try to stay away fromthe lines.

• Disturbance of wildlife• Birds like ducks, ptarmigan, loons and geese sometimes hit the

lines while flying and fall dead.

Transmissionlines (three 735kV and one 315

kV lines)

• Mistrust created by a deficient communication process• The tallyman was told that he would get compensations and he

never received anything apart from bills in the mail and“something in his hair” (mercury).

• Lack of communication• Nobody was informed about anything and the tallyman knew

about the road and about the flooding only when he saw it withhis own eyes.


• Inadequate Compensation Programs• The tallyman says that individual compensation should have

been given to the impacted families. They have receivedcompensation as a whole and the money has remained “downsouth”.

• The tallyman feels cheated not having received anything for theexploitation and destruction of his land.

• Aggrieved feelings• The tallyman has a feeling of betrayal and injustice when he

thinks about the significance of the land for him as a mainsource of income with which to support his family, about thedamages that have been done to the land, and the way thetrapline users have been treated by HQ.


8



damages that have been done to the land, and the way thetrapline users have been treated by HQ.



Boat ramp (storage place)on LG-4 Reservoir

• Nobody uses it anymore as it was broken-in to (thestorage place) and people have lost a lot of theirpossessions.

Boat ramps on the LaGrande Rivière,downstream from LG-4Powerhouse

• They are useful. The trapline users use them with Non-Cree customers when they guide for the Nouchimioutfitting camp.

• They use the boat ramps to go on the La Grande Rivièrefor moose and bear hunting or to access some creeksinside the land to check for beavers.

Boat ramp by the QA-08dyke on the LG-4Reservoir

• They do not use it. It is used by Non-Crees.

Cleared Tributaries onLG-4

• It must have been helpful for navigation for the peoplegoing on the LG-4 Reservoir, but the interviewees do notgo on LG-4 Reservoir.

Cleared Tr ibutar ies(along the La GrandeRivière)

• Some of these works may have worked, but they did notuse them.

• The trapline users navigate in the area of the clearedtributary at the end of the canoe route going fromKatatipawasakakamaw Lake to the La Grande Rivière,but they were not aware that some mitigation works weredone.


Measure or work Evaluation and commentsSlashing around atributary of the LaGrande Rivière

• They wonder why it was done.


• 1) To renovate cabin #1 that is getting old, or to have a new cabin somewhere elseto replace it because it is too close to the transmission line.

• 2) To have a snowmobile trail linking Katatipawasakakamaw Lake and a small lakesouth of it where they hunt geese. (The trail has been already done by Freddie Ratt.)

9

• 3) To build a road going from camp #1 to the western side of the lake where thespring camp #4 is located.

• 4) To build a cabin for goose and rabbit hunting.

• 5) To build new cabins at the major lakes.

• 6) To cut down the trees around the cabins for security because there are a lot offorest fires.

3



• Loss of travelling route along the La Grande Rivière• The traditional travelling route along the La Grande Rivière is

henceforth unusable.

La Grande-3Dam

• Permanent loss of land base and water plans• The two reservoirs have flooded a total area of 562,7 km2 which

represents 53,8% of the trapline area. 489,7 km2 (46,8%) of landand 73 km2 (7%) of natural water plans were flooded.

• Flooding of campsites• All the main campsites located along the main rivers

surrounding the trapline were flooded.

• Flooding of fishing sites• Many good fishing lakes and rivers have been flooded.

• Decrease of available resources• Many animals such as bears and beavers were drowned during

the impoundment because it took place during the fall and winterwhen they had already built their dens and lodges.


(1979) and LaGrande 3 (1981)

reservoirs

• Disappearance of sturgeon• No more sturgeon is fished in the trapline since the project.

• No fishing on the reservoir due to fear of mercury problems• The trapline users do not fish in the reservoirs as they were

warned about the mercury problems.• They only fished in the reservoirs for a short period after the

impoundment, before the mercury notice.

• Loss of prime hunting areas• The prime hunting area for goose and ptarmigan along the La

Grande Rivière has been lost.

• Loss of prime trapping areas• Almost all of the western and eastern extremities of the trapline

have been flooded and consequently so has much of the primebeaver trapping area. Very little of the trapping area is left.

• Decrease of available resources• The beaver population has decreased on the trapline due to the

flooding of their natural habitats.• The ptarmigan population has decreased over the trapline due

to the flooding of their natural habitats along the La GrandeRivière.

Existence ofRobert-Bourassaand La Grande-3

reservoirs

4



to the flooding of their natural habitats along the La GrandeRivière.

• Very few unaffected fishing areas are left on the trapline.

• Navigation obstacles• During the summer, because of the low water level in the

reservoir, rocks and trees are raised out of the water and it isunsafe to travel by boat on the reservoirs.

• Adaptation to ice conditions• Travelling by snowmobile on La Grande 3 Reservoir is possible

only after Christmas because the water does not freeze enoughbefore that period.

• Facilitated access to trapline (new road access)• The trapline has been accessible by truck from the community

since the presence of the road.

• Facilitated access to camps• The two main campsites are located along the access road

going to the La Grande 3 Dam.

• Possibility to do many return trips to the trapline during theyear.• The trapline users do many return trips to the trapline during the

year, taking advantage of the week-ends, the school holidaysand the goose breaks to bring their family members.

• Increased presence of other users• Three hunting camps for HQ workers are located on the trapline

along the access road.

Access roadgoing from the

Transtaïga to theLa Grande-3

Dam (1977) (andTranstaïga Road,

not on thetrapline)

• Avoidance of construction area• During the construction period, the trapline users did not have

access to the camps that were located close to the road areaand had to used the camps out of the construction area, alongthe La Grande Rivière.

ConstructionPeriod

5



Cutting for rejuvenation • The tallyman is not aware of this remedial measure.

Reforested borrow orwork area

• The vegetation is growing in the borrow pits.

Boat ramps and accessroad to the ramps

• The boat ramp located close to camp #5 is the most usedby the trapline users.

• The boat ramp located at the TA-24 dyke is used by theHQ workers but not by the trapline users.

Cleared multi-purposesite (access, navigation,fishing)

• The area was cleared but it is getting obstructed againwith dead trees.

Net fishing sites

• The trapline users have been there to fish a couple of timeand they fished mostly whitefish in addition to pike, suckerand burbot, but they do not fish much there as it is into thereservoir.

Float plane landing site • It is not used.

Canal

• The tallyman was not aware of the existence of the canal.He presumes that it was built when they were asked tomove away during the construction period and that it musthave something to do with the inversion of the flow ofChakapash Lake.



Sotrac Subsidies• The trapline users received a canoe and subsidies to

move their campsite away from the construction area butit remained an inconvenient for them.

6


• 1) To clear the goose hunting area.

• 2) To make a parking and a path to be able to get to the camps with a wheelchair.

• 3) To do clear-cutting around the camps in order to protect the camps from the forestfires It is also that the camps have to be easily visible by the hunters during the fallfor them not to shoot in the direction of the camps.

• 4) To built or clear-up a snowmobile trail.

• 5) To clean the tributary from the dead trees. The tallyman could not go throughthere last summer, on his way to Kukamas Lake to fish speckled trout with hischildren.

4

Impacts According to ParticipantsCH1


• Loss of access route across La Grande river• Lost of traditional winter access route to traplines on the north side of

La Grande River because the ice is unsafe and can’t cross it at anypoint as they did before.

• The ice condition deteriorates more rapidly on the river estuary andopen water occurs earlier in the spring.

• During the winter, the trappers have to go to the bridge at LaGrande-1 or far out in the bay to have access to the northern shoreof the river. The transportation related costs have increasedmarkedly.

• La Grande River can no longer be safely used as a winter trail tomove along a west-east axis as it was possible before the project.

• Many floating debris near the river shores over the ice endanger thetravelling by snowmobile.

• Navigation conditions on the river estuary and James Bay areaffected• Only at high tide the tallyman and community trappers can navigate

on the river estuary and into the bay. Sandbars and vegetation aredeveloping and blocking the navigation routes along the coast.

• Loss of resources• The beaver habitat is lost all along the river shores until La Grande-4

generating station. The lodges are flooded with the increased riverflow and beavers are drowned or they move inland.

• The cisco is disappearing at the river estuary.• The shores are unstable because of the erosion caused by the

increased flow. Landslides could cause the loss of resources likespring water source.

• Floating debris block the creeks where beavers have their lodges.The tallyman no longer can get to them by the river.

La Grande-1generating station

• Travel on ice on the James Bay and La Grande river estuary wereaffected• Since the construction of La Grande-2, the ice condition deteriorated

more rapidly on the river estuary and open water occurred earlier inthe spring.

• Trappers were forced to go farther into the bay on snowmobile tohave a safe route to the northern coast of the estuary.

Robert-Bourassa(La Grande-2)

generating station(until 1994)

• Lack of communication• The tallyman and other trappers weren’t informed about the changes

to come on La Grande River.• Tallyman and other users weren’t informed that the water flow would

increase on La Grande River so they could have trapped out somebeavers on its shores before they drowned.


5

Participants’ Evaluation of La Grande Complex Remedial Measures and WorksMeasure or work Evaluation and comments

Signs advertisingunstable shores

• The trappers didn’t see any of them on the northern shores eventhough those are unstable shores too.

Boat ramp atLa Grande-1

• CH1 trappers don’t use this boat ramp though other Chisasibitrappers use it when they go fishing on the river.

Channel between thepeninsula and the islandon Des Oies Bay dug outby SOTRAC

• Now the channel is almost useless because of lack ofmaintenance and can only be used at high tide.

Road to Longue Pointe

• Tallyman and trappers have permanent access to the trapline andto the James Bay coast north of La Grande river.

• Non-Crees access the trapline to hunt caribou on Category II landwith a guide from a Cree outfitting camp.

• Lots of community members access the trapline on a daily basisto hunt small game.

6

Suggested Mitigation Measures• Improve a section of the access road to the James Bay at the cross point of Guillaume River

with a boat ramp allowing to avoid the rapids.

• The tallyman would like the two gravel pits on the trapline to be transformed into goosepounds.

• Add some gravel to the lake where the clear cut was done near the road to Longue-Pointe soas to transform it into a goose pond.

• The tallyman requested to ameliorate the waterfowl habitat at the head of Des Oies Bay.

• The tallyman requested that the gas drums left behind near Awichina Lake be removed andthe area cleaned.

• Implement a program to keep the community and the trappers informed when the water flow isto be increased on La Grande river downstream of La Grande-1 power station.

Other concerns• The tallyman is concerned about the future impacts of the EM1-A project on La Grande river

water flow.• He wonders how the diversion of the Rupert River will affect the water level on La Grande

River?

4



• Loss of land base• The south-eastern sector of the trapline, considered as the

family “grocery store” because of the abundance of resources,was flooded with the impoundment of the reservoir.

• Loss of the Kanaaupscow River as a known milieu• Temporarily loss of access route• For at least two years after the impoundment of the reservoir, it

was impossible to navigate because there were debris and deadtrees everywhere

• Avoidance of impacted areas• The Family stayed away from the affected area for at least two

years.

• Loss of a harvesting area on the shorelines• The first filling of the reservoir reached a higher level than its

currently level and the recoil of the waters left a “waste land” allalong the shoreline. It was a loss of trapping areas. Still now, it’simpossible to hunt and trap along the reservoir shores becausethe shores are full of dead trees. As no vegetation grows, thebeaver and the moose have no feeding along the reservoirshores.

• Loss of sturgeon fishing sites along the Kanaaupscow River.

• Loss of camps• Main camps from the 1960’s as well as many temporary

campsites from the 1970’s located on the shores of theKanaaupscow River and along the four trapping routes in thesouthern sector have been flooded.

• Loss of resources• Until the relocation program two or three years ago, the beaver

was completely depleted in the reservoir area after the trappingout program.

• The pike population decreased in the reservoir area but still thetrapline users couldn’t consume it because of the mercury.

• The sturgeons have disappeared from Kanaaupscow River andare maybe scattered in a larger region.

• Income reduction• During the construction of the dam and the impoundment of the

reservoir, the quality of the furs of the animals living along itsshores deteriorated and were sold for less money. The qualityraised again to reaching a normal stage many years after.


5



• Gain of new resources• The waterfowl has tremendously increased after the project,

especially the geese. This is directly linked to the existence oflarge water bodies inland as are the reservoirs.

• A new species has appeared in the region that has never beenseen before, the sheenook salmon. Before the project they werefound in lakes and in rivers east of La-Grande-4 and have nowcame down west of it through the reservoir, perhaps even untilthe La-Grande-2 reservoir.

• Worsened Travelling conditions• More than 20 years later, the navigation on the reservoir is still

not very safe because of all the debris floating around. Some ofthem accumulate in three specific areas that the tallyman hasidentified.

• When the water is low in the reservoir, some navigation routesbecome difficult because they are too shallow, causing delays.Some routes are avoided.

• The snowmobile circulation on the reservoir is limited to themonths of January and February, when the ice is really thick.Earlier, it is unsafe due to drawdown.

• Loss of navigation route• The dam cuts the navigation route on La Grande River that

many trappers followed from Fort George to Caniapiscau River.

Robert-BourassaDam

• New partial access route• The road allows the tallyman of CH10 to get close to his trapline

by truck and continue by motor boat, canoe or snowmobile.

Road fromRobert-Bourassapower station todams CD-01, 02

and 03

6

Participants’ Evaluation of La Grande Complex Remedial Measures and Works


Plane landing platformon the reservoir

• The tallyman never used this platform, as it is located in asite not useful for the surrounding trapline users.

Cleared river mouth atAmichinatwayasich Bay

• The vegetation is overgrown again and the tallyman thinksit’s completely useless.

Participants’ Evaluation of other Measures and Works



• All the beaver was trapped out in the area that would beflooded. A relocation program would have beenconsidered more appropriate because the beavers wereless numerous in the northern part of the trapline and stillare today.

• The trapping out jeopardised the trapping as for 5 or 6years after, no beaver were found along the river goingnorth east from the reservoir.


• Clean the “wasted land” all along the reservoir shores.

• Clear the Amichinatwayasich Bay area as well as the reservoir shores to make gooseponds and improve the hunting capabilities.

• Improve the snowmobile trail from the road near the dikes across the CH9 traplinefollowing the ancient road used by people from Caniapiscau area. This trail isaccessible earlier than the trails on the reservoir considered not safe before Januaryor February.

• Improve the access from the reservoir to the inland lakes by doing some clear cuttingsand more portages along the traditional canoe route crossing the trapline from west toeast as well as along the Kapisichikamastikw River.

4



• Permanent loss of land base and water plans• 42,1% (270,5 square kms) of the total trapline area have been

flooded. 35,1% of land and 7% of natural water plans.

• Flooding of valued areas• The valued gathering area at the Kanaaupscow Post and the

valued gathering place of camp #8 have been flooded.

• Flooding of burial sites• Many people were buried at the Kanaaupscow Post site that has

been flooded.• The two burial sites located on the shore of a big lake on CH14

have been flooded.• A burial site located on the Kanaaupscow River shore between

camp #2 and #8 has been flooded.

• Flooding of birth sites• Many people were born at the Kanaaupscow Post site that has

been flooded.

• Flooding of campsites• Almost all the campsites of the trapline have been flooded.• All the collective fishing sites along the Kanaaupscow River

have been flooded.

• Loss of prime harvesting areas on the shorelines• The prime hunting areas notable for ptarmigan, rabbit, waterfowl

and muskrat along the rivers Kanaaupscow and the river linkingthis latter to Wawa Lake have been lost.

• A lot of beavers and other animals such as bears that hadalready built their dens and lodges were drowned during theimpoundment because it was done during the fall and winter.

• Loss of trapping areas• The tallyman’s father’s valued trapping areas have been

flooded.

• Loss of fishing sites and spawning grounds• Almost all the major fishing sites have been lost on the trapline.

Impoundment ofthe Robert-BourassaReservoir

5



• Family livelihood jeopardized as trapping is very limited onthe trapline• No trapping is possible on the trapline since the project and the

trapline users cannot make a living out of it.

• Loss of river access to trapline, to camps and to harvestingareas• Accessing the trapline by boat from the community is no longer

possible.

• Loss of the rivers as a known milieu• The trapline users were very cautious the first time they went

back to the trapline after the impoundment, the territory lookingvery strange to them.

• Unsafe traveling conditions/Delayed access to trapline• The trapline users could not access the trapline for the two

years following the impoundment because of the dangeroustraveling conditions on the reservoir.

• The trapline users have to wait for one or two days sometimes,for the wind to calm down in order to navigate safely on thereservoir, delaying their activities.

• Navigation obstacles• Trees stick out of the reservoir, especially when the water level

in low.• It is unsafe to come back to the camp after dark because of the

unexpected obstacles rising along the canoe route.• The navigation routes change over time, sandbars and

obstacles appearing because of the constant decrease of thewater level in the reservoir over the years. People have to learnnew safe routes over the years.

• Broken equipment• The tallyman broke a motor hitting a sandbar in a shallow area.• Another family broke a motor in a shallow area close to the

island of Amichimakuskach Lake.• The tallyman had to cut his net that got stuck in trees stumps

when he tried to fish in the reservoir once.

• Loss of security of snowmobile trails/Adaptation to iceconditions• The location of old rivers and rapids have to be taken into

account because the ice does not freeze hard and it melts fasterin certain areas.

Existence of theRobert-Bourassa

Reservoir

6



account because the ice does not freeze hard and it melts fasterin certain areas.

• Snowmobile transportation on the reservoir is not safe beforethe end of December and after the month of March while it issafe from early November until May on natural water plans.

• The variation of the water level in the reservoir create unsafetraveling conditions as the ice breaks when it drops down,creating unexpected obstacles.

• Modified fishing activities (including displacement ofactivities)• The trapline users go to fish in unaffected lakes on CH11 and

CH14 in addition to the fishing done in the few unaffected lakeleft on their own trapline.

• No more sturgeon is fished on the trapline.• The collective used fishing sites, used by the inlanders, along

the Kanaaupscow River have disappeared.

• No fishing on the reservoir due to fear of mercury problems• The few times they tried to fish on the reservoir, they were not

enthusiastic about eating the fish because they were concernedabout the mercury.

• No fishing is done in the reservoir because of mercury.

• Decrease of game/fish quality• The lake trout fished once in the reservoir were fat and were

considered less healthy than in the non-affected lakes, maybebecause they have lost their main feeding and spawninggrounds.

• The taste of the fish caught in the reservoir is different.• The few beavers trapped along the reservoir shores after the

impoundment were very skinny as if they could not reach theirfeeding grounds.

• Modified hunting and trapping activities (includingdisplacement of activities)• The trapline users have the permission to trap some beavers on

CH11 in order to compensate for the lost trapping areas on theirtrapline.

• The spring goose hunting is done at LG-2 as the snowmobileroutes on the reservoir are unsafe at this period.

• The great diminution of the trapping activities on the traplinesince the project changed the duration of stay of the traplineusers who spend less time on the trapline during the winter.

7



users who spend less time on the trapline during the winter.

• Decrease of trapping potential• Very few beavers are found on the trapline today.• There are almost no longer any muskrats on the trapline since

the impoundment (their feeding grounds on the shorelines ofrivers having been flooded).

• Decrease of available resources• The ptarmigan population has decreased a lot on the trapline

compared to before the project and consequently, so has theptarmigan hunting. (Their rich feeding grounds along theKanaaupscow River have been flooded.)

• Less ducks are found on the trapline today. They stay for a veryshort period of time on the trapline because their feedinggrounds along the rivers shores were lost.

• Concerns about water (and fish) quality• The trapline users are concerned about the quality of the water

in the reservoir as the use it as drinking water. When it is verywindy the water becomes yellowish and they fear that it is goingto become even darker in the future as part of the flooded landcomes up and this affect the quality of the water and the qualityof fish.

• Lack/Deficient information on the impacts• The trapline users did not received any information prior to the

project on the impacts and on the project itself.


• Increase of moose population/Modification of huntingactivities• A lot more moose hunting is done compared to before the

project. There is an increase of moose population further northand on the trapline because they follow the Route de la BaieJames, being attracted by the salt put on it.

Route de la BaieJames (not onthe trapline)

• Presence of HQ workers camps (not on the trapline)• The increased presence of humans and their garbage attracted

bears. Some of the workers also feed the bears so a lot of themwere seen in the camps areas. The tallyman asserts that thetaste of bears caught close to camps is different than the tasteof bears caught away from humans.

ConstructionPeriod

8



Cleared tributaries (onthe border with CH14

• They know that there are fish in there but they are notinterested in fishing them because it is in the reservoir.

• The area is used as a portage when they go to fish inAmichikukamaskach Lake, as it is impossible to passthrough. The passage is blocked.

Cleared area forspawning ground (onCH14)

• It is in the reservoir and the trapline users do not fish intothe reservoir.

Plane landing site (onCH10)

• They never used it.

Participants’ Evaluation of Other Measures and Works


Trapping out program• They could not trap all the beavers because they were too

plentiful, even if many families participated in it.• Relocation would have been better than trapping out.

Sotrac Subsidies• They got one 24 footer canoe for two families in 1985.• Camp #9 was financed by the Sotrac.

B e a v e r r e l o c a t i o nprogram by the CTA

• Two beaver couples were relocated on the trapline fiveyears ago, on lakes Kasakukamach and Kauschiskach.


• 1) To have a new cabin (already asked to Apatisiiwin).

• 2) To have a covered boat, a kind of ferry for the transportation on the reservoir,bigger and safer than the barge they had a few years ago.

• 3) To be provided with a kind of radar detecting the obstacles in the water, so theyounger generation will be able to travel safely on the reservoir.

Impacts According to TallymansCH14


• Permanent loss of land base and water plans• 44,8% (1017,6 square kms) of the trapline area has been

flooded (37,9% of land and 6,8% of natural water plans).

• Flooding of campsites• Many campsites were flooded.

• Flooding of burial sites• All the burial sites located on the trapline were flooded.

• Flooding of birth sites• All the birth sites located on the trapline were flooded.

• Flooding of valued areas• The Campsite #1 area which was considered valued was

flooded.• The Kanaaupscow Post area which was an area rich in

resources in addition to being an important gathering place(even before the existence of the trading Post) was flooded. Itwas also a beautiful area with waterfalls and islands where itwas good to stay, and would have been a prime site to build apermanent town.

• The valued hunting area along the Weeyaskimiistuk Riverlinking the Kanaaupscow River to Weeyaskimiish Lake was lost.The tallyman really misses this area.

• The valued area surrounding lakes Weeyaskimii andWeeyaskimiish was flooded.

• The rapids where the sturgeon used to spawn are considered ascomplete lost valued features.

• The “canoe factory” island in Weeyaskimii Lake has beenflooded.

• Loss of harvesting areas• The spring and fall hunting area for goose, ducks, and small fur

bearing animals along the river Weeyaskimiistuk linking theKanaaupscow River to Weeyaskimiish Lake is lost.


Reservoir



• Loss of trapping areas• The trappers used to trap a lot of beavers along the rivers

Kanaaupscow and La Grande but both rivers were flooded.• All the western part of the trapline which was a prime trapping

area was flooded.

• Loss of fishing sites and spawning grounds• The trout fishing area in the river Weeyaskimiistuk linking the

Kanaaupscow River to Weeyaskimiish Lake is lost.• The two rapids in the rivers Kanaauspcow and La Grande where

sturgeon used to spawn were flooded.

• Fur Income reduction

• The impossibility of moving around the trapline during theconstruction period and during the years following theimpoundment of the reservoir represented a loss of income fromtrapping activities for about 5 to 7 years. This was a very seriouseconomical impact for the trapline users and the full timetrappers like Steven Pachano had to go to trap on othertraplines.

• Modified fishing activities• No more sturgeon fishing is done on the trapline. Sturgeon was

fished in the rivers La Grande and Kanaaupscow before theproject.

• No net fishing is done in the reservoir during the winter becausethe tree stumps and wood debris are impossible to see underthe ice.

• More pikes are fished because the population increased in thereservoir but since the last five years there seems to be aproblem with pikes as they are less numerous and smaller thanbefore.

• Gain of new fishing areas• The tallyman fishes into the reservoir, the fish are big and fat

and he likes that.

• Concerns about mercury problems• Some people fear to have mercury problems from having eaten

fish from the reservoir.

• Breaking of equipment/Extra expenses


Reservoir



• The tallyman has already lost three fishing nets while fishing intothe reservoir, the nets getting stuck in tree stumps.

• It is quite costly to buy a good fishing net.

• Worsened navigation conditions• The canoe travelling conditions on the reservoir are not easy

when it is windy as the waves are high and the travellers have todeal with the currents of the flooded rivers.

• The fluctuations of the water level in the reservoir are dangerousfor the travellers as the navigation obstacles changes and areunpredictable.

• Because no clear cutting was done in the reservoir area prior tothe impoundment, wood debris, trees stumps and rotten woodstill lie today on the reservoir.

• Worsen harvesting conditions• The drift wood pushed in the water arms by the wind makes

difficult the access to the shores to reach the inside lakes andrivers to look for beavers.

• Decrease of available resources• The reproductive area for ducks in the lakes Weeyaskimii and

Weeyaskimiish area is lost. There are less ducks on the traplinecompared to before the project.

• The sandpiper ducks are hardly seen anymore in the trapline.• There are no beavers in the reservoir shores because the draw

down disturbs them.• The beaver population decreased on the trapline compared to

before the project. The population did not renew since themassive killing caused by the impoundment that was doneduring the winter. A gradual increase has been noticed onlysince the last couple of years.

• There are less muskrats as they were also victims of theimpoundment and the population did not renew.

• Change of game quality• The ducks that are hunted over the land are fat but they taste

like fish since they feed on the fish from the reservoir.• The taste of otter, mink and marten has changed since they eat

fish from the reservoir.

• Acquisition of equipment adapted to the travelling conditionson the reservoir.



on the reservoir.• Need for big motor canoes to travel on the reservoir. The

trapline users switch to smaller ones to travel on the inside lakesand rivers.

• Worsened snowmobile travelling conditions• Because of the fluctuation in the water level, ice piled up along

the shores as the ice breaks when the water level goes downand freezes again. So the shores become hardly accessible bysnowmobile and one has to be very careful.

• Water flows over the ice and it is dangerous to get stuck infrozen slush when the weather is very cold.

• Loss of safe snowmobile trail/Adaptation to ice conditions• It is impossible to cross the La Grande River downstream from

the dams until a certain point as the temperature changes andthe ice does not freeze enough.

• Delayed access to trapline• After the impoundment people were not allowed to travel or stay

around the reservoir for about 5 to 7 years because thetravelling conditions were too hazardous.

• Gain of new waterfowl hunting area• Merganser that used to migrate now stays in La Grande 3

Reservoir all year long.

Existence of LaGrande-3

Reservoir (noton the trapline)

• Facilitated access to trapline (new road access)• Since the presence of the Transtaïga Road which has reached

La Grande -3 Powerstation in 1975, it is a lot easier to reach thetrapline.

• It takes a day to reach to the trapline instead of a monthpaddling.

• It is possible to go on the trapline only for the week-end and thatis convenient for the workers.

• Cheaper access to trapline compared to the plane• If there was no road, the tallyman assesses that he would not

manage to see his trapline so often because of the expensivecost of the plane trips.

• Facilitated trapline management for the tallyman• The road facilitates the access to the trapline for the tallyman

and consequently it facilitates the displacement to do the beaverinventory.


trapline)



and consequently it facilitates the displacement to do the beaverinventory.

• Easier access and increased presence of other users• A negative impact of having a road passing through the trapline

is the fact that many outsiders come to hunt.• Five HQ workers hunting camps are present on the trapline

area.

• Lack of consideration for the tallyman• The workers did not ask the tallyman before putting up their

camps.

• Easier access and loss of security, confidence and tranquility• The trapline users feel that it is unsafe to leave equipment in

camps.• A canoe was stolen and other important trapping equipement.

• Corridor hunting/New harvesting area (for the trapline usersand for others)• Hunting for any animals is done along the access road going

north of La Grande-3.

Access roadgoing north ofLa Grande-3

Dam

• Broken/Stolen equipment• There was a lot of traffic during the construction period as

thousands of workers were present in the area. Traps and otherimportant equipment were stolen from camp #13 and atemporary camp (#17) was burnt down by arson by workerspresent on the territory.

ConstructionPeriod

• Lack of involvement of the Land Users in the planning of theproject• The tallyman deplores the fact that the knowledge of the Crees

about the land was not taken into account in the planning of theproject as many mistakes could have been avoided.

The Project



• Lack/Deficiency of consultation Process• The recommendation made by the people during the hearings

have not been taken seriously by the authorities.

• Lack/Deficient information on the impacts• Information that happened to be false was given at the time.

Such as the fact that the rivers flowing in the Great Whale Riverwould not be affected, that the fish and wildlife would be affectedonly for 5 to 10 years and would return to a normal stateafterwards, and that the maximum water level of the reservoirwould not go down with the years.


• No compensation for the loss of fur income• An important impact of the project for he trappers was the loss

of fur income due to the impossibility to access the trapline formany years during the construction period and also due to theloss of prime trapping areas. No compensation were given forthat and the tallyman thinks that it is unjust from the part of HQto expect the trappers to pay their HQ bills.


Tallymans Evaluation of La Grande Complex Remedial Measures and Works


Cleared tributariesmouths around BayAtikamakw

• It was poorly done because it was done during the winter(in March). It was impossible to cut the trees until theground and trees stumps had been left on site.

• All the clearings that have been done during the winterwere poorly done.

Shorelines cleared forspawning purposes inthe reservoir, north ofBay Cisapisipuyu

• The clearing was done during the summer so it was welldone, but new debris pile in there and it would be good toclear it again.

• Clearing should be part of an on-going program.

Net fishing areadownstream from LaGrande-3 Dam (on VC-8)

• It is useless to set the nets as they get stuck. The clearingwas done during the winter so the trees were cut someinches above the ground and the stumps were left there.There is no place for the fish to spawn.

• The Robert-Bourassa Reservoir should have been donethe way it the La Grande-1 Reservoir was done; To cutthe trees in the reservoir area, flat the bottom withbulldozers and take the tree stumps out by burning them.

Tallymans Evaluation of La Grande Complex Remedial Measures and Works

Measure or work Evaluation and commentsCutting for rejuvenationon the northern shore ofthe La Grande River,downstream from LaGrande-3

• Moose yard was well done. Moose go to feed there everyyear and it is a moose hunting area.

Boat ramps

• The boat ramp located on VC-8 on the southern shore ofthe La Grande River downstream from La Grande-3 Damis used by the trapline users of VC-8. Eddie Pachanouses it sometimes.

• The boat ramp located on VC-8, right upstream from thedam is well located, easy to access by the road and it iswell done so one can put the boat in the water withoutgetting stuck with the vehicle. It is used by the peopletravelling on the La Grande 3 Reservoir.

Floatplane landing sites

• Two floatplane landing sites were built, one in the LaGrande River downstream from La Grande-3 Dam andone in the Bay Chisapishoupeeyou, and they are useless.It is a waste of money as they are built in the middle ofnowhere, nobody lands there, and nobody knows abouttheir existence.

Tallymans Evaluation of Other Measures and Works



• It was not a very good program. Instead of doing this theyshould have raised the water in the spring instead of inthe fall, so all the hibernating animals would not havebeen drowned along with the animals such as muskratsand beavers which had already built their lodges.

Relocation Program• Relocation is better than trapping out and should be the

first measure to consider.

Sotrac Studies

• Some of the studies financed by Sotrac were nonsense,such as a $5 000 study that was done by ananthropologist to find where to put the camps, instead ofasking the land users themselves where the campsshould be build.

Sotrac Subsidies • Camp #13 was financed by Sotrac.


• 1) To clear the area north of the Bay Chisapishoupeeyou again in order to create awaterfowl feeding area. The clearing of tributaries should be an ongoing program asnew debris are pushed in and new vegetation grows.

• 2) To clear the rivers flowing into the reservoir in order to help navigation. Wooddebris keep obstructing them. This should be an ongoing program.

• 3) To open a navigation channel.

• 4) To preserve the valued area of Ukau Lake for the future as it is a source ofexcellent drinking water. It is also a potential commercializing drinking water site,along with other lakes.

• 5) To be provided with big containers to store material safely (for the use of manytraplines), or with a safe warehouse. To put one at the La Grande-3 Dam would begood because it would be easily accessible from the traplines around. With about tencontainers divided among the traplines the problem would be solved.

• 6) To create a waterfowl feeding area. It is important to create waterfowl feeding andnesting areas to secure the return of the birds every year on the trapline as thenatural feeding grounds have been flooded by the project.

• 7) To build portages in order to access non-affected lakes.

5



• Permanent loss of land base and water plans• 46,2 km2 of land and 7,5 km2 of natural water plans have been

flooded by the reservoir.

• Loss of harvesting resources• For many years after the impoundment of the reservoir, the

beaver was completely absent from the affected area. It onlystarted recently to settle in the reservoir area.

• The river valleys of the Kanaaupscow and Griault rivers wherewillows grown have been partially destroyed by the flooding.After the project, small game and other species have decreasedin these areas.

• Loss of traditional route to the trapline• Since the project, it’s impossible to go from the community to the

trapline by boat, paddling up the rivers.

• Facilitated access to the trapline• The reservoir facilitates the access to the trapline when the

weather and the ice conditions are suitable for navigation ortraveling on snowmobile.

• Unsafe traveling conditions/Delayed access to trapline• The trapline users couldn’t access the trapline by canoe for at

least three years after the impoundment because the reservoirwas full of debris and the navigation was dangerous.

• The trapline users can’t navigate at all on the reservoir whenthere’s a wind blowing from the south or the north-east.

• Still today, the navigation on the reservoir is dangerous becausethere are many rocks, stumps, and dead trees that can cause anaccident.

• The trapline users have to wait until January before being ableto reach their trapline by snowmobile because otherwise the iceon the reservoir is slushy or isn’t thick enough.

• Decrease of fishing activities and fish consumption because ofmercury• The tallyman only consumes the whitefish from the reservoir.

Other species are unfit for consumption because of mercuryintoxication concerns or because some specimens are too fatand look unhealthy.

• Relocation of camp because of modified environment• The campsite on the reservoir will have to be relocated in the

near future because the shores are eroding and it will probablybe destroyed. The distance of the campsite to the shoreline ishalf the distance shorter than when it was built.


6



be destroyed. The distance of the campsite to the shoreline ishalf the distance shorter than when it was built.

• Partial access to the trapline• The tallyman and other trapline users take the road until the

dam where they leave their truck and continue by boat orsnowmobile.

• Increased presence of other users• Non-native caribou hunters and fishermen normally access

trapline CH16 for their activities. Hunters waste the meatbecause they leave parts of the carcass in the bush whileothers shoot caribou and leave them untouched.

Route de la Baie-James and road

to Robert-Bourassa dam

(outside traplineboundaries)

• Lack of information• The tallyman knew about the project when the construction

companies were ready to start the work.• He was surprised to see the Route de la Baie-James because

he wasn’t aware of that.• He didn’t know how his trapline would be modified by the

reservoir.




No mitigation measures were done on CH16

Participants’ Evaluation of other Measures and Works


Trapping out programbefore flooding

• The tallyman asserts that this measure is not effective. Arelocation of the beaver out of the area to be flooded ismore suitable because the resource can regenerate inother areas instead of killing them at once. The tallymanalso thinks that at the time, the decision was rushed andthat they didn’t have enough time to think about it.

• The trapping out program started too late and the trappersdidn’t have enough time to trap all the animals. Many ofthem died drowned.

7


• Build at least five cabins on the eastern sector of the trapline in order to save thisland by exploiting and managing the resources available.

• Open wider trails for the big snowmobile that will allow people to carry big loads ofmaterial.

• Make an airstrip in a flat area that was ravaged by a forest fire. This will allow theplane to land there instead of landing on the ice.

• Repair the old cabin (# )

• Build a new cabin away from the reservoir shores because they are eroding rapidly.

• Open a flyway for geese.

• Rebuild the portage done by Apaitsiwin with more enduring materials.

• Build a new cabin for geese hunting.

• Clean up the reservoir shores from stumps and dead trees.

• Build a shelter half-way on the reservoir route (outside CH16 boundaries) fortrappers from other traplines.

• Increase the transportation subsidies for extra trips for those tallymen having theirtraplines farther east to 75% of the plane fare instead of the 50% they receive now.

• Open firebreaks around the campsites.

• Receive more subsidies for transportation from Hydro-Québec because he can’t takefull advantage of the road and CTA transportation program.

4

Impacts According to ParticipantsRE1


• Loss of the Eastmain River as a known milieu• Loss of many rapids, between the dam and flooded camps as valued

area• Loss of river access to trapline and loss of a navigation route• Loss of fishing sites at three major rapid sites• Loss of bear hunting area at the rapids sites• Loss of one camp site on the Eastmain River• Loss of a drinking water source, the Eastmain River• Loss of the Eastmain River shores as a important harvesting area

• For rabbits, as there was none inland• For ptarmigan• For goose

• Loss of trapping areas along Eastmain River• Loss of trapping equipment when the water started going up

• Not informed of when the flooding would start, how high the waterwould get: had to move their traps around three times within two weekswhen the flooding occurred.

Impoundment ofthe OpinacaReservoir

• Decrease of trapping potential for years to come• Decrease in quantity of beavers trapped• Income reduction• Delay of 10 to 15 years before the return of the beaver population in the

reservoir area. The beaver not being active along the reservoir shores,the tallyman did not trap during three or four years in that area and thenwent into the Muskeg area were the beaver was more active.

• Unwillingly shared camp• The camp, not being used as much for trapping because of decrease of

beaver in the area due to reservoir, the camp was taken over by non-Cree hunters.

• Avoidance of impacted area and worsen navigation conditions• The previous tallyman said he hardly used the reservoir as he was

worried of the waves and of all the floating trees, also afraid to break hismotor. Thus he did not explore the reservoir, by canoe or bysnowmobile. Because of ever changing navigation conditions, peopledo not know what to expect and do not fell safe, mentioned thetallyman.

• Adaptation to reservoir ice conditions and loss of safe snowmobiletrail• Unsafe snowmobile traveling conditions and dangerous ice conditions

(cracking up, falling through); trees are sticking out of the ice. The shoreis unsafe because of the accumulated trees and people who do notknow tend to travel along the shores because of the wind, being afraidto go in the centre. It took two or three years for the tallyman to findthe safest route on the ice. There is now a known trail in the centre ofthe reservoir where it is safer to travel.

Existence of theOpinaca

Reservoir

5



the safest route on the ice. There is now a known trail in the centre ofthe reservoir where it is safer to travel.

• Introduction of Sturgeon in the Eastmain River east of OpinacaReservoir• Following impoundment of Opinaca Reservoir and the unusual raise of

the water level in the fall of 1987, a raise reaching the level of the firstrapid east of the reservoir, sturgeon came into the Eastmain River eastof the Opinaca reservoir.

• Loss of river access to trapline and loss of a navigation route• Loss of natural shore line and canoe landing areas• Navigation obstacles

• There was not enough water to travel in the reduced flow area prior tobuilding of the weir

• Loss of a drinking water source, the Eastmain River• Increased difficulties to access camp site due to wider shores• Loss of purpose using camp due to loss of harvesting area• Loss of the previous tallyman’s prime trapping area, after cut-off of

river, there was less beaver

Reduced Flow onEastmain River

(downstream OA-11 Dam)

• No access to the James Bay Highway / Access to trapline for otherssince 1973 but not for the tallyman and family

• Access to trapline limited through the Eastmain snowmobile trails1980

• Access to trapline limited through the Eastmain Winter Road (1983)• Access and use of James Bay Highway and the AO-11 Access Road

since the opening of the Eastmain Community Road in 1995• After purchasing a truck in 1994-1995, and after the opening of

Eastmain Road in 1995, the tallyman has been using the access roadto OA-11 Dam to access his trapline.

• The Access road is also used during the winter when it is ploughed. Ifnot, tallyman access trapline from RBJ by snowmobile. It was notploughed every year, but now with the EM-1 Project, it has been.

• Increased Presence of Other Users• The Highway brought in “lots” of people.

• Modified hunting activities due to increased presence of non-Creehunters• The tallyman states that he does not hunt moose in the fall as he feels it

became dangerous due to the presence of too many non-Cree hunters.

• Increased Pressure on resources• Some Crees of everywhere, but mostly from Nemaska and Mistissini

come through Route du Nord and James Bay Highway up to OA-11Dam then on Eastmain River, hunting moose and beaver without askingthe tallyman; also to access other traplines further east.

Route de La BaieJames

Access Road toOA-11 Dam

6



Dam then on Eastmain River, hunting moose and beaver without askingthe tallyman; also to access other traplines further east.

• Cree hunters also come from Waskaganish for goose hunting in thereservoir at OA-11 Dam, while others from other communities come formoose hunting, fishing and trapping mostly downstream of the Dam inthe reduced flow section of the Eastmain River.

• Many non-Cree moose hunters come along OA-11 access road andhunt in the area: 14 of them along the road to Dam OA-05, + 12 ormore of them use the 3 camps in the OA-11 Dam area.

• No comments.OA-11 Dam and

Eastmain Spillway• Loss of use of a camp site

• Loss of use of camp located under transmission lines 6-7 due to thedisturbance of CB radio caused by the line.

• New access trail• Very occasional use back in the 1980’s of portions of lines by Cree

visitors coming wintertime by snowmobile from Nemaska (Line 8) orfrom Waskaganish (Lines 6-7).

TransmissionLines

Four 735 kVtransmission line

running north-southin 3 corridors (Lines

6,7,8,11)

• Tallyman’s authorization• The tallyman worries that the archaeological survey team from the early

EM-1 Studies, with whom he worked, maybe went to some burial siteswithout asking him permission to go, as he would want them to do.

ArchaeologicalSurvey

• Inadequate Compensation Programs• Frustration expressed by present tallyman on the fact that the affected

tallymen were not properly taken into consideration and not directlycompensated.

• ISP and CTA programs, as compensation, are considered being toolimited, coming with too much delays, not always adequate to solvesituation encountered by tallymen.

• Burden is on the tallyman to get his specific situation recognised as wellas new or ongoing problems such as the travelling conditions to thetrapline in regards to reservoir impact on travelling. He gives forexample of a new problem, the general policy of Hydro-Québec ontravelling expenses as experienced for the Sturgeon Study. Upon a lastminute call René Dion from the CRA that came with a group in June.Who was to pay, the CRA or HQ ? The group used the camp, alongwith the generator, the tallyman had to cut wood and used his chainsaw. The “props” were broken during the trip and gas was used. HQand SEBJ said that they do not pay for “props” and the gas has still notbeen reimbursed.

Other comments

7



Clearing (for reconstitutionof riparian habitats)South of Eastmain Riveralong tributary

• Previous tallyman saw it and mentioned it was a good jobthat had good result.

Plantation in fixed upborrow pitWest of Muskeg Substation,under 69kVLine + Road)

• Eastmain Crees coming for moose hunting in the borrow pits

• Previous tallyman mentioned that the plantation worked well

• What is called “a moose yard” Are the plantation done forgoose ponds, for partridge or for moose ?

• For what purpose are the renewal cuts done ? It seems thatthe renewal cuts attract moose. They are the ones that wouldbe called “Moose yards”

Plantation along EastmainRiver in the reduced flowsection (not marked on map)(No such work was done)

• The tallyman mentioned that such seeding on the exposedbanks should have been done to create a goose feeding andhunting ground. Yet if it had been done or if it is to be done,the tallyman suggests that an on-going clearing programshould be put in place in order to clear out a walking trail onthe exposed banks for the hunters to reach the land. Such aprogram is done every 10 years in Chisasibi to cut-off thewillows.

Net Fishing Area (PI-01) • Previous tallyman was aware of it but never used it

M u l t i - p u r p o s e a r e a s(access, navigation)HQ Boat Ramp at OA-11Dam

• Present tallyman mentioned that the ramp is not located atthe right place in regards to the wind direction and that watercovers up the boat ramp. He uses the Cree boat ramps

Clearing along south shoreof the EastmainRiver/Opinaca Reservoir

Previous tallyman said he heard about it but never saw it

Navigation maps andchannel

No maps where provided, no navigation channels secured

8



Trapping out program(1979)

Did not have enough time to trap all the beavers; had only one fallto trap out. Also did not have enough equipment. Sotrac waspaying only for the plane, not for the gas neither for the extra trapsneeded to do the needed intensive trapping. The program shouldhave been done over two years prior to impoundment

Beaver Relocation program(1979)

Good measure but not enough relocation was done and thus extratrapping out had to be done prior to impoundment, which wascostly for the trapper, and which compromised the next trappingyear after impoundment

SOTRAC or CTA SubsidiesPrevious tallyman mentioned he had received no Sotrac subsidiesor material to replace his flooded camps.

Weir # 5

Previous tallyman mentioned that once the weir was built, he couldnavigate again in that section of the river with their motor boatespecially during the fall when the water is higher.Present tallyman says HQ should inspect the weir, that not enoughmaintenance is done


• Tallyman’s involvement• As it is the tallyman’s role to manage the resources and to monitor the changes on his

trapline, the tallyman expects that, from now on, he will have the opportunity to monitor whatis happening on his trapline and that, to do so, he expect having financial support as wellparticipating in the Sturgeon Location Search Flights and in the 2nd Moose Inventory in orderto see where the moose moved away following the Summer 2002 Fires.

• Goose Pond Area• Suggests to develop a goose hunting area in the reduced flow part of Eastmain River with a

4-wheelers access road under the 6-7 transmission lines, and a trail that only 4-wheelerscould use on the north shore of river all along from Weir #5 to OA-11 Dam (on VC35 trapline)

• Goose pond area around Weir #5: wants HQ to open access road to Weir #5 for truck access(2 km missing) and to develop a goose pond area. (on VC35 trapline)

5

Impacts According to IntervieweesRE2


• Loss of a travelling route• Necessity to take the plane or to wait after freeze-up to access

the trapline (before the construction of the Eastmain Road in1995).

• Navigation obstacles• Navigation on the Eastmain River within the trapline is limited

downstream from weir #3 as many dried areas are found in thatpart of the river.

• Loss of landing areas• It is impossible to land on the Eastmain River where the water is

too shallow.

• Loss of river access to trapline and to camps• No more access to the trapline by boat from the community.• Campsite located between the First Rapid (Gorge de Basile) and

weir #3 are no longer accessible before freeze-up.

• Decrease of available resources• Muskrat, beaver and mink trapping has decreased along the

Eastmain river and its tributaries as their population has beenaffected by the modification of their reproduction areas, affectedby the reduced flow.

• It took five years after the diversion for the beaver population tostart to renew, but it never came back at its original state.

Diversion ofEastmain RiverReduced flow

6



• Fish population decreased in Eastmain River notably forsturgeon, pike, whitefish and walleye.

• The decrease in bear population along the Eastmain River wouldbe due to the fact that they have lost fishing spots to feed on.

• Decrease in moose population along the Eastmain River becausethe vegetation they used to feed on has been modified.

• Decrease of duck population along the Eastmain River, theirfeeding grounds being modified and because of the overgrowth ofthe vegetation along the banks, they have no open space to feed.

• Income reduction• A decrease of available resources on the trapline joined to a drop

in fur prices represent an income reduction for the tallyman.

• Decrease of game quality• The previous tallyman noticed a decrease in fish quality into the

Eastmain River during the years following the diversion.• Change in the taste of fish in the Eastmain River.• Decrease in moose meat quality, moose are less fat compared to

the ones killed on unaffected traplines.

• Decrease in fishing activities• Almost no more fishing is done into the Eastmain river since three

years after diversion, when the tallyman found that the fish weredry and skinny and that the fish nets were sticky after two days inthe water.

• Loss of fishing sites and spawning grounds along the EastmainRiver because of the reduced flow

• Loss of at least 5 spawning grounds.

• Displacement of hunting, trapping and fishing activities• Due to the decrease quality and quantity of game and fish along

the Eastmain River, the center of activities has been displaced tolakes Nistam Siyachistawach and Amiskw Matawaw.

• Changes in diet• As fish was important in the diet, the significant reduction of

fishing activities is linked with a main shift in the diet. Theinterviewees associate this change in the diet with the healthproblems as diabetes.

• A decreased availability of healthy game and drinking watersources is also considered as being in part responsible to thechange in the diet and to diabetes.

7



sources is also considered as being in part responsible to thechange in the diet and to diabetes.

• Loss of drinking water source into the Eastmain River

• Aggrieved feelings• For having lost the noise of the rapids of Gorge Conglomerate

which was an important feature for the life on the land.• For having lost the accessibility to cherished sites.• For having lost a river that was a main source of life and of

everything they needed to survive.

• Loss of access to valued areas• Some family valued areas on the western part of the trapline are

accessed only by the trappers during the winter as the access islimited through snowmobile trails since diversion.

• Loss of possibility to transmit traditional knowledge• Loss of sites or loss of access to sites represent an impediment

to transmit traditional knowledge, as how to forecast the weatherfrom the noise of the rapids. Transmission of knowledge isintimately linked to living on the land and access the cherishedsites as you have to live the things to get the knowledge.

• Changes in communal fishing activities• Significant decrease in the communal summer fishing activities in

front of the community. This represent a loss of an importantsocializing activity.

• Road access/ Loss of control of the tallyman

• People from other communities hunt whatever they see along theroad without informing the tallyman, even beavers. This representa loss of control on the management of the resources for him.

• Access and use of the Route de la Baie James since theopening of the Eastmain Road in 1995

• Easy access to camp #16 and #17 by truck.• Elders appreciate having a camp close to the road in case of

emergency.• Cheaper access compared to the plane.• Permits to do back and forth trips from the trapline to the

community during the week-ends to get some supplies.


8



• The trapline users share their camp with community members,groups of students or other groups such as the CTA who arewilling to spend time on the land.

• Road access/ Increased presence of other users• There is a lot of activities around the interviewees main camp

(hunters, campers, outfitters…)• The trapline users of RE2 have to count with the “km381” camp

on their trapline that increased significantly the number of peoplepassing on their trapline.

• Caribou do not come anymore around the lakes as the road iscrossing the area where they use to come and the increase ofactivities chase them away.

• Non-Cree hunt moose along the Route de la Baie James and theEastmain River. Since a couple of years they seem to respectmore the limits of Category II lands.

• Road access/ Loss of security, confidence and tranquility• The users feel that it is not safe to leave equipment in the camps

easily accessible from the road (fishing nets and stoves weretaken from camps).

• Changes in the resources along the road• The furs of beavers trapped along the road are often marked as

“damaged” when they are sold as some of them have soresbreaking the skin. This may be due to the pollution present in thewaters and the environment surrounding the highway.

• The beavers killed along the road are sometimes unfit forconsumption or taste different.

• The trapline users were told by the environmental officer not todrink the water from the lakes surrounding their main camp #16.

• Loss of income• The damaged beaver furs represent a loss of income for the

tallyman.

• Loss of fish supply for the community• The previous tallyman along with other fishermen used to fish

notably sturgeon and pike for the whole community around camp#23 island. Around 1975, he stopped fishing there after henoticed a change in fish quality due, according to him, to theconstruction of the Route de la Baie James. This represented aloss of fish supply for the community.

9



• Gain of a new snowmobile trail• The line right of way is sometimes used for joy riding.

• Loss of campsite• Campsite #13 has hardly been used since the construction of the

transmission line because the proximity of the line was interferingwith the radio frequencies.

• Radio transmissions are affected by the transmission line.

• Concerns about quality of resources• Concerns about the porcupines which may be affected under the

line• Users were told by the local environmental officer not to eat the

blueberries under the lines, but they eat them the same.• The concerns about the quality of resources under the lines come

from the fact that some animals like ptarmigans were found deadunder the lines.

Transmissionline (11th, 1988)

• Presence of Hydro-Québec/SEBJ Workers• A storage place was destroyed across the river from the workers

camp (for the construction of weir #3) and 40 to 50 traps alongwith winter clothes disappeared from there.

• Disturbance/Avoided area• The trapline users stayed away from the works area for about five

years, continuing to trap elsewhere on the trapline. They tookaway the equipment from the camps located close to the worksarea.

• Equipment left on site• Gas drums and old batteries for machineries have been left on

the land and the tallyman is concerned about their impact onenvironment and on small game.

Constructionperiod

10



• Access and use of the trail from the Route de la Baie Jamessince the opening of the Community Road in 1995

• Allows to access camp #15 and the shore of the Eastmain Riverby snowmobile.

Winter road toweir #3

• Lack of information on the works and their impacts• The interviewees consider that they have not been informed in a

proper way about the works and their impacts and keep a feelingof frustration.

• Lack of consultation process• The previous tallyman learned by accident, while being on his

trapline in the works area that the Route de la Baie James wouldcross his trap line.

• The trapline users have not been consulted about the location ofthe transmission line and they knew that it would cross theirtrapline only after the works had started.


• Inefficiency of insurance program for stolen equipment• The interviewees consider that the insurance program for stolen

equipment during the time of work was not working so wellbecause even if they were ask to make a list of the their stolenequipment during the construction of weir #3 they never receivedanything from that.



Measures or Work Evaluation and Comments

Seeding and planting onexposed banks of theEastmain River

• Moose come to feed along the river shores on thevegetation.

• It is impossible to walk along the shores because thereis too much vegetation.

Weir #3 on EastmainRiver (1983)

• It helps for the navigation on the Eastmain River fromthe Route de la Baie James up to weir #3 and permitsaccess by boat to the camps of this section of the river.

11


Measures or Work Evaluation and Comments

Programs and Subsidies

• The tallyman agreed at the time with some measuresproposed to him by the SOTRAC (a trail along theEastmain River and goose ponds), but these measureshave not been done.

• The programs and subsidies dedicated to the tallymenand the trapline users should be better adapted to theirneeds and take account of their insights.


• #1) To clean-up the trapline from the remaining gas drums and batteries left on itafter the last clean-up program (the sites have been mentioned to the clean-upprogram representative).

• #2) To build a new log cabin to replace camp #15.

• #3) To fix a 4-weelher and snowmobile trail from the Route de la Baie James tothe camp #15, following the old winter road going to the weir #3 (the tallyman hadalready been asked by the SOTRAC if he wanted something done to access theriver area, he asked then for that trail that was never done). This trail would help alot to enhance the use of the trapline as he sometimes has problems travelling onthe Eastmain River during the winter.

• #4) To build goose ponds.

• #5) To fix a 4-weelher trail to reach the Amisk Matawaw Lake shore (from a gravelpit).

• To be informed by the workers maintaining the Route de la Baie James about thedestruction of two beaver dams, every fall, close to their camp #16, so they couldtrap the beavers instead of loosing them.

• To inform the tallyman concerned when any works are done on his trap line, aboutany resources that may be destroyed or affected, so he can make enlighteneddecisions for the management of the resources.

• To have gates along the Route de la Baie James where there are trails or roadsgoing inland in order to better manage the activities on the trapline.

• To have generators and wells for the camps.

12


• To clean-up an old firefighters camp and its sewage hole located close to km 372.

• To have the list of their “recommended mitigation or remedial measures” on adifferent map than the “Cree Land Use After the Project” map because thetallymen willing to present their proposed mitigation measures to some entities arenot necessarily willing to expose details on their land use.

4

Impacts According to ParticipantsRE3A


• Loss of fishing site and spawning ground• A spawning ground for whitefish and walleye and a community use fishing

area for sturgeon, walleye and pike has been dried out around theislands facing the mouth of the À La Pêche River.

• Fishing sites and spawning grounds have been dried out in the À L’EauFroide River. No more fishing is done on it since two years afterdiversion.

• Modified fishing activities• The fishing activities on the Eastmain River are subjected to navigation

conditions and almost no more fishing is done during the summer.• Net fishing on Atachikami Lake is subjected to the variation of the water

level because navigation is not possible on the lake when the water levelis too low.

• Changes in the communal fishing activities• The communal fishing activities held in front of the community during the

summer months significantly decreased in importance.• The community members rather go to fish in the Bay than in the Eastmain

River during the summer.

• Modified access and use of community sites• The First Rapid which was a communal fishing site is used only by a

couple of tallymen today due to the difficulty of access and theperception that the fishing is not so good over there anymore.

• The communal ciscoes and whitefish scoop fishing site on the À L’EauFroide River is not use anymore because of the difficult access by boatdue to the reduced flow on the river.

• Decrease in fishing activities and/or fish consumption because ofmercury• The tallyman share the perception with other community members that

the fish coming from upstream the river carry mercury. He only fish thespecies coming from the Bay, and some people from the community juststopped eating fish from the river, or considerably reduced theirconsumption.

• The interviewees assert that some health problems are linked to the factthat some people stopped or reduced considerably their consumption offish that was the main source of food.

• Decrease of available resources• No more sturgeon and burbot are fished in the Eastmain River

downstream from the First Rapid. These two species were particularlyvalued ones.

• There is no renewal of the beaver population by the beavers flowing downthe Eastmain River during the spring thaw.


5



the Eastmain River during the spring thaw.• There is less geese feeding along the coast, their feeding ground being

affected by the reduced flow. When the Eastmain River current wasstrong enough, it pushed out the salty water along the coast and it wasfresh water that was present at the mouth of the creeks flowing into theBay. With the reduced current, the salty water affects the feedingsgrounds. Moreover, the mud freezing to the ground and pilling up alongthe coast also affects the feeding grounds.

• Decrease of game/fish quality• Sturgeon fished upstream from the First Rapid are not very healthy.

• Modified trapping activities• Few beaver trapping is done around Atachikami Lake since the low water

level impede the beavers to build their lodges around it because thewater freezes to the ground.

• Worsened navigation conditions• Navigation on the Eastmain River is subjected to tidal action and to water

level. It is hardly possible to navigate during the summer. The conditionsare unstable as the navigation channel is continually subjected tochanges due to sandbars expansion.

• The tallyman is concerned about the future use of the river. He fears thatin ten to fifteen years from now it will become impossible to navigate onthe river.

• Loss of river access to trap line and to camps• The À L’Eau Froide River low water level impedes to reach the

Atachikami Lake through it because many navigation obstacles due tolandslides arise along it.

• The camps along the À L’Eau Froide River are not used anymore sincethe diversion.

• Necessity to take the plane to reach the Atachikami Lake area beforefreeze up until the construction of the Eastmain Road in 1995.

• Concerns for reduce flow in other water plans• The tallyman is concerned about the future state of the fish in Atachikami

Lake.

• Loss of plane landing site• It is not safe to land on Atachikami Lake anymore, the water being too

dark and to shallow to assess accurately the deepness of the water fromthe air.

• Loss of drinking water sources• In the Eastmain river the water is brown and muddy and there is more

turbidity.

6



• In the Atachikami Lake and in a small lake close to the mouth of the Àl’Eau Froide River, the water is black and shallow because the streamsand underground waters feeding the lake are not clear anymore.

• Decrease of water quality• A decrease in the water quality in the À L’Eau Froide River as been noted

after the diversion by the fact that the rocks in the river became veryslippery.

• Loss of valued areas• The À L’Eau Froide River is considered as a loss valued area.• The Eastmain River as it was before is considered as a lost valued area.

• Broken equipment• The tallyman has broken two motors on sandbars while traveling on the

Eastmain River.

• Loss of security of snowmobile trails/Adaptation to ice conditions• Since the diversion the river water freeze to the ground and when the high

tide comes from the bay the water flow over the ice and makes thesnowmobile trail on the river slushy and unsafe.

• Road access/Increase presence of other users

• Since the caribou hunting is allowed, no more herds of caribou arecoming on the trapline, the hunters “blocking” their trail coming south.

• Moose population is decreasing because more people are hunting them.Moreover the sexual balance is affected because non-Cree only killmales.

James BayHighway and


trapline)

• Decrease of available resources• Less wavies are staying along the coast during the hunting season as

they fly more inland towards the reservoirs.• Ptarmigan are scarce over the trapline as they stay more inland because

of the presence of the reservoirs.

Existence ofreservoirs (not on

the trapline)

• Lack of information on the impacts• The interviewees have not been properly informed about the impacts of

the project. They were only told that there would be a reduced flow in theEastmain river, but did not know about the impacts on the quality of thewater and the modifications in fish populations and fish quality. Also,nothing had been told to them about the effects of the diversion on theother water plans such as Atachikami Lake and the À L’Eau FroideRiver.


7



Snowmobile trail (1979) andEastmain Winter Road(1983)

• Possibility to use the snowmobile trail and the winter road bysnowmobile to reach the Atachikami Lake area.

Water treatment system

• Tallyman does not like the taste of the water, according to himit smells like Javex. Trapline users make the weekly trip to km381 or to VC35 to get their drinking water.

• A well was built close to the garbage dump, so the tallyman isconcerned about the quality of the water on the long run anddoes not trust the water treatment system in Eastmain.

Subsidies and Programs

• During the ‘80s, the tallymen were supposed to getcompensation from Sotrac for broken equipment if it happenedthat they break motors traveling on the diverted river. Thetallyman complained once because he had break two motorson the river and he was answered that there was no money forthat.

Other comments

• According to the tallyman, roads to access the tallymen maincamps were among the works that have been promised by HQbefore the construction of the Eastmain Road but that werenever done.

8


• #1) To build the road going half way to camp (or going the whole way if there is a gate endingit).

• #2) Road to go to the goose pond from km52 on the Eastmain Road.

• #3) Gate to control the access to the road going to the goose pond.

• #4) To make a goose pond in the gravel pit at km 43 close by Mantu Lake (outside thetrapline).

• #5) To build a road from km 26 on the Eastmain Road to camp, to facilitate the access of theEastmain River for the community members for fishing activities (people could leave their boatson the river shore and take them to fish upstream).

• #6) Bridge over the Eastmain River (would need the consent of the tallyman of VC32) tofacilitate the access of the northern shore of the river and of the spring camps along the coastfor goose hunting for community members.

• #7) To make a golf course.

• #8) The tallyman would appreciate to be informed about the old barrels that were left on histrapline by HQ during the times of work. A clean-up was supposed to be done by HQ last year,but he has not been informed afterward about the situation on his trapline. (HQ answer: Thereports have been transmitted to the band council.)

• #9) To build a canoe landing site on the Eastmain River mouth, close to the bay, in order to beable to go out at anytime without being dependent on tides (would facilitate the fishing activitieson the estuary and would also be safer in case of emergency).

5

Impacts According to IntervieweesVC20


• Permanent loss of land base and water plans, loss of landscape• That flooded 363,4 km2 of the trapline superficies, 92,6 km2of

land and 270,8 km2 of natural water plan) in Lake Sakami area.For a total of 380,3 km2 of flooded land, 19,1% of the traplinesuperficies (5,3% of land and 13,8% of natural water plan)including Robert-Bourassa Reservoir.

• Worsened snowmobile travelling conditions• In some places like Sipanikaw Arm, there’s open water all year

long and can’t travel with snowmobile.• The ice is very thin and unstable on Sakami Lake. Empty spaces

form below it.

• Loss of trapping areas on the shorelines• There’s no more beaver on the Sakami Lake shorelines. It has

moved inland, into the creeks.

• Loss of harvesting areas on the shorelines• Because of the dead trees along the shores, the tallyman can’t

come closer as he used to do when he’s hunting on SakamiLake.

• Change to landmarks• The tallyman was disoriented after the flooding. He couldn’t find

the common landmarks on his trapline.

• Loss of fishing sites and spawning grounds• The tallyman can’t use his fishing net anymore in Sakami Lake,

either because the bottom of the lake is full of stumps or histraditional net fishing site is now too deep.

• He barely fishes in the Sakami Lake.• The fish specimens have greatly changed after the flooding;

they’re skinnier.• The fishing sites along the shoreline of the lake are unattainable

because of the dead trees.• The sturgeon spawning areas on the Sakami River are gone.• Can’t fish anymore on the Sakami River either because the

current is too strong or there are plenty of dead trees.

• Worsened navigation conditions• The navigation conditions are affected on the Sakami Lake:

“either you hit a stomp or the rocks” when going near the shores.• In some places of the lake, the water is too rough.

EOL riverdiversion

Increased flowand water level

in Boyd andSakami lakes

6



• Permanent loss of land base and water plans, loss of landscape• Robert-Bourassa Reservoir (1979) that flooded some land along

the northern border of the trapline that flooded 16,8 km2 of thetrapline superficies, 12,6 km2of land and 4,3 km2 of natural waterplan).

• Loss use of a fishing site• Loss use of a net fishing site at the end of the construction road

accessing Robert-Bourassa Reservoir, close by the Sakami RiverMouth (where the tallyman use to set his nets) because it was notcleaned as Hydro-Québec said they would do for many yearsalthough that area was developed by Hydro-Québec as a netfishing area on the reservoir. It was cleaned last fall.


• New access to the trapline• The access to camp #2 is easier because it’s located near the

Transtaïga Road.

• Corridor hunting• The tallyman’s nephew usually hunts along the road.

• Increased presence of other users• For many years caribou hunters were hunting directly on the

road. Now they go into the bush.• Many non-Crees have built their camps on the trapline, mostly

near the road. Those camps are rented out in the fall to othernon-Cree hunters.

• Loss of security• The tallyman has lost 3 outboard motors from camp #2.

• Changes of resources along the road• The tallyman assess that more beavers are moving near the road

where the renewed vegetation is growing after some clearcuttings have been done. Other Crees or non-Crees can thenshoot them.

Transtaïga Road

• Gain of new snowmobile trail• The tallyman uses the transmission lines as snowmobile trails,

particularly to access the eastern sector of the trapline.

Transmissionlines

(6, 7 (1979), 8(1979), and the

line going Chissibito La-Grande 2)

7



• Lack of communication• The tallyman thinks that even though he was aware of the

project, it wasn’t the case to everybody else in the community.




Boat ramp (2) and road toaccess ramps (2)

• The tallyman uses the boat ramp close by camp #2 andthinks that it’s a good measure.

• The ramp further east is hardy accessible and notuseful because the hill is too steep and only 4X4 truckscan bring down their boat.

Cutting for Rejuvenation (10 sites)

• The tallyman wasn’t aware of this measure on histrapline.

Reconstituted riparianhabitat (19 sites)

• The tallyman wasn’t aware of this measure on histrapline.

Navigation corridor (2)• The tallyman was never told about this measure on his

trapline. Did not notice them.

Cleared multi-purposesite (2)

• The tallyman was never told about this measure on histrapline. Did not notice them.

Reforested work area(18+)

• The tallyman did notice it along the roads. The youngvegetation attracts the beaver.

Cleared tributary mouth(2)


One fish ladder• The tallyman was never told about this measure on his

trapline. Did not notice them.

Shore line cleared forspawning (7 sites)


8



Trapping out programbefore the flooding • The tallyman thinks that this was a good program.

B e a v e r r e l o c a t i o nprogram

• The tallyman thinks that this kind of program couldbenefit many trappers in the future, those that don’thave anymore beavers on their trapline and those thathave enough to relocate elsewhere.


• A creek on Sakami River near the Transtaïga Road has become a lake for themost part of the year. When it dries out during the summer, there are plenty ofseagulls and crows that go there. The tallyman ask for a study to know exactlywhat those birds are after.

• The tallyman requests that a road be built from the Transtaiga Road untilKanichukamach Lake in order to have an easier access to camp #1.

• The tallyman would like to have a snowmobile trail from the one existing nearKanichukamach Lake, until Sakami Lake. This trail would be useful to VC21trappers too.

• The tallyman thinks that installing a generating station where the bridge of theTranstaiga Road over Sakami River is would be a good thing in order to profit fromall the water in the Sakami Lake.

• The tallyman requests that the shores of the Sakami Lake be cleaned up from allthe dead trees.

4



• Permanent loss of land base and water plans, loss of landscape• 43,5 km2 of land and 289,7 km2 of natural water plan in Lake

Salami area. For a total of 333,2 km2, 10,6% of the totalsuperficies of the trapline

• Flooding of campsites• Flooding of fishing camp #9.

• Loss use of campsite – Loss of a sturgeon fishing gatheringplace• As there is no more shores, the camp that was also a sturgeon

fishing gathering place, is almost underwater, and not usablenowadays. “Only memories are left”.

• Loss of trapping area• Flooding of the trapping routes along Salami Lake shores.• Flooding of the beaver lodges around Deprès Lake.

• Loss of plane landing site• Loss of the plane landing site that was near by camp #6.

• Loss of landscape• Loss of the landscape along the shore of Salami Lake. Beaches

and lakes have been overwhelmed.

• Loss of boat landing sites• Loss of boat landing sites along Salami Lake shore because of

the flooding of beaches and the presence of drift wood.

• Loss of security of snowmobile trails/Adaptation to iceconditions• Ice is less thick on Salami Lake and snowmobile trails have to be

checked out.• The snowmobile trail going to camp #12 from the Route de la

Baie James is unsafe.

• Decrease in fishing activities and/or Fish consumption becauseof mercury• No more fishing is done by the trapline users in Salami Lake

because of concerns about mercury.

• Decrease in game/fish quality• No more fishing is done in Salami Lake by the trapline users

because of a change in the taste and texture of fish.

EOL riverdiversion


in Boyd andSalami lakes

5



because of a change in the taste and texture of fish.

• Decrease of available resources/Modified fishing activities• There is hardly any sturgeon fishing on the trapline since the

project, the sturgeon having almost disappeared from thetraditional fishing sites.

• Concerns about water quality• The interviewees noticed a change in the taste and quality of the

water in Salami Lake.

• Debris left on site• Gas drums found on the beach close to camp #13.• Other debris were also left further south around

Mamakwasukamikw Island, a piece of equipment and a cable ona first site, and a big Hydro-Québec cable attached to a cementblock that requires a big boat in order to be able to take it out.Another smaller cable was already cleaned up, but not this biggerone.

• Although it was not implemented, they became aware that anagreement was done some 5 years ago with the Chisasbi peopleto clean-up the Robert-Bourassa Reservoir. No such agreementwas ever done for the Opinaca Reservoir and the Boyd-SalamiDiversion where all the wood debris along the shores need to becleaned-up. The interviewees would want such a program to beimplemented and recommend not using chain saw as it would getthe water dirty.

6



• New access road to Salami Lake since the opening of WemindjiRoad in 1995• Possibility to access the trapline by boat or by snowmobile from

the Transta_ga Road.• Possibility for the tallyman to do more back and forth trips to the

community during the trapping season.

• Road access/Loss of security, confidence and tranquility• The trapline users do not leave material in camps because of fear

of break-ins.

• Road access/Increased presence of other users• Crees and non-Cree hunters come to hunt along the Salami River

and have camps in the area.

• Modified hunting activities due to increased presence of non-Cree hunters• There is less caribou hunting on the trapline since the Transta_ga

Road has been reopened to the non-Cree hunters in 1994. Thecaribous hardly come south today because of the increased trafficon the road.

• VC21 users also hunt moose but do not like to stay around theTranstaîga during the fall. If the opportunity raises, they will, butthey usually wait February or March to hunt. There is moose allover the trapline, but there is more on the north border.

• Lack of consideration and respect for the food resources• The trapline users are shocked to see the fish remains left along

the Transta_ga Road by non-Cree fishermen.


trapline)

• Gain of new access trail• Possibility to access the trapline by snowmobile under the

transmission lines from the Transta_ga Road.

• Easier access/Increased pressure on resources• There is a decrease in beaver population and consequently of the

trapping potential close to the transmission lines, due to thepresence of hunters using the trails under the transmission linesand trap or disturb beavers.

• Easier access/Loss of control by the tallyman• Loss of control by the tallyman on the management of the land for

the sections of the trapline close to the transmission lines.

Transmissionlines (9th, 10th,

12th)

7



• Tension and conflicts with other communities members who donot respect the trapline rights.

• The new access through the transmission lines also became acause of some changes in the land use, neighbouring traplineusers trying to extend their borders until the transmission linelimit.

• Decrease of fish quality• the reduced flow of the Salami River due to the Fregate diversion

also affected the fish.

FregateDiversion

8



Cleared tributary mouth

• Not aware of it

• All the Salami Lake shores should have been cleared ofdead trees.

Cleared multi-purposesite (access, navigation,fishing)

• Not aware if it

Reconstituted RiparianHabitat • Not aware of it

Shorelines cleared forspawning purposes • Not aware of it

Floatplanes landing siteon Lake Salami Lake(close be the camp #81)

• Not aware of it

Cutting for rejuvenation • Not aware of it




• No trapping out program was conducted on the trapline.The water level rise was estimated less than whatactually happened and “it would have been difficultanyway to trap out the shores”.

Sotrac subsidies • Subsidies for the construction of two camps (#13 and#14) were received in the 1980’s..

Spring Goose Subsidies

• Although goose are numerous inland, the trapline usersdo not hunt geese inland partly because there is nosubsidies to sent them inland as there is for the Coastalgoose hunt.

9


• #1: Gates on the Transtaïga at the junctions with the transmission lines, to controlthe access of the trapline.

• #2: To clear the whole shore of Salami Lake of dead trees that are there since thefirst project (concerns about mercury and navigation).

• #3: New snowmobile trail from the Transtaïga Road to camp #12 and #13. Safetrail (related in part to the concerns about the ice conditions after the Rupert Riverdiversion; this is a particularly important recommendation for the tallyman).

• #4: Maintain and complete the snowmobile trail within the trapline.

• #5: Clean-up gas drums.

• #6 Clean-up pieces of equipment and cables left on site by Hydro-Québec

• Set regulation to control the access of the trapline and to have the power toprosecute people violating the trapline rights.

4



• Disturbance during construction period• The trappers were surprised when Hydro-Québec used

detonations during the construction of the dikes. They felt that thenoise disturbed the animals

ConstructionPeriod

• Permanent loss of land base and water plans, loss of landscape• 61,7km2 of land and 124,4 km2 of natural water plan in Lake Boyd

area• For a total of 189,2 km2 of flooded land, 12,8% of the trapline

superficies (4,4% of land and 8,4% of natural water plan)including Opinaca Reservoir

• Loss of camps• At least seven log camps were flooded when the diversion was

completed.• The tallyman never received any compensation from Hydro

Quebec for the flooded camps and was never told about theupcoming changes on the water level.

• Loss of trapping areas• Loss of at least two prime trapping areas• The beaver population on the shores of Lake Boyd and Sakami

Lake has decreased since the flooding because of the debrisalong the shores.

• Because of unsafe ice conditions, the tallyman doesn’t trapanymore in the flooded areas.

• Loss of havesting area• The flooding seems to have affected the waterfowl too as there

are less ducks on the trapline than before. The debris floatingeverywhere all along the shores could affect the vegetation thatthey feed on as it became scare along the shores since theflooding.

• Loss of fishing sites• Net fishing is almost impossible on Lake Boyd because the

current is too strong.

• Loss of travelling route• The navigation conditions are affected in Lake Boyd and Sakami

Lake. The current is too strong and trees are sticking out of thewater.

• Given the navigation conditions, the Lake Boyd and Sakami Lakeact now as a barrier cutting the trapline in two areas.

EOL riverdiversion


in Boyd andSakami lakes

5



act now as a barrier cutting the trapline in two areas.

• The travelling conditions during the winter on Lake Boyd andSakami Lake are altered because trees are sticking out of thewater and the ice is unsafe.

• Flooding of valued areas• Two traditional family gathering areas were flooded• At least 4 burial sites lay now underwater.

• Avoidance of the impacted area• As recommended by his father, the tallyman abandoned the area

surrounding Lake Boyd after the shores were flooded, yet thetallyman’s brother-in -law uses part of the impacted area.

• The area near Sakami Lake was abandoned for winter activitiesbecause the ice on the lake is unsafe. There’s a space betweenthe ice and the water.

• Debris left behind• Fred Weapenicappo saw a helicopter pad and some drums full of

oil on Misiministiku Island.

• Increase of fish resource/ Decrease of quality• The fish in Lake Boyd is more abundant but doesn’t taste the

same. Dead fish on the south side of La Sarcelle come through inLake Boyd as well as the debris along the shores of Lake Boydaffect the quality of the water and the taste of fish.

• Aggrieved feelings by the flooding• The tallyman feels endangered by the current navigation and ice

conditions on the Lake Boyd and Sakami Lake, and for thisreason he has abandoned the use of some land base. He hasconcentrated his activities somewhere else on the trapline,especially during the winter time.

• Permanent loss of land base and water plans, loss of landscape• The southernmost part of the trapline has been flooded by the

impoundment of the reservoir. (2,8 km2 of land and 0,3 km2 ofnatural water plan).

OpinacaReservoir

6



• New potential access to the trapline since the opening of theWemindji Road in 1995• The tallyman has a facilitated access to the southern part of his

trapline yet he rarely goes by road and does not access histrapline very often through that road, occasionally just to go andcheck.

• Restricted access to the trapline from construction access road• The vegetation covers the construction access road from La

Sarcelle to dikes 1-OA-33 & 2-OA-04 restricting the possibility touse it as an alternative access route to the trapline.

• Increased presence of non-Crees• The presence of non-Crees on the trapline is facilitated by the

road. They go fishing in the La Sarcelle Control Structure area, onthe south part of the trapline and they leave garbage.

La SarcelleAccess Road

• New access trail• The clearing underneath is used as a short distance route as

snowmobile route• Possibly, other Crees from neighbouring traplines use the

clearing as a snowmobile route, namely VC23 and VC18

• Disturbance• The transmission lines produces some noise and the trappers

dislike it.• The lines also affect the CB radio

735 kVtransmission

line

• Lack of communication• The tallyman wasn’t told that the diversion would flood some land

and that he would lose some camps located on the shores ofLake Boyd.

• The trapline users weren’t told about the blasting works when thedikes were under construction.

• The tallyman and other trapline users weren’t informed about themitigation measures implemented on their trapline. They weren’taware of most of the measures.

• Lack of transparency• In the 1960’s, Hydro-Québec had two monitoring camp used for

the Water and Fish Studies but Studies but their existence andpurpose was never mentioned to the Crees, a situation thetallyman deplores.


7

Interviewees Evaluation of La Grande Complex Measures and Works

Measures or works Evaluation and comments

Net fishing areas• The interviewees weren’t aware of this measure. In any

case, the water flow is too fast there to fish with nets.

Multifunctional area onLake Boyd

• Fred Weapenecappo was aware of them but as explainsthe tallyman, that is where the current is the strongestand thus there is too much current to use this area.

Cleaning of tributarymouth

• Fred Weapenicappo saw an area where they did somecleaning of a tributary mouth and the river flow is goodenough. The tallyman wasn’t aware of this measure.

Clear cutting around theBoyd and Sakami lakes

• The trapline users didn’t participate in theimplementation of this measure, they weren’t hired to dothis job on their own trapline. The shores were notcleared cut far enough and the raise of the waterflooded trees that still stand there on the flooded shores.

Reconstituted riparianhabitats

• The tallyman wasn’t aware of this measure and neversaw this implementation. Fred Weapenicappo saw theimplementation of this measure in one area andobserved that some geese stopped there for feeding.

Plane landing spot

• They were aware of the plane landing spot butaccording to them, it’s good only for helicopters in thesummer or in the fall because the water level changes.Generally, the plane doesn’t sea land on the reservoirbut on lakes instead.

Other comment• The measures not being useful to the trapline users,

they feel Hydro-Québec “pocket money for themeasures just flows down the river”.

8



Trapping out program• The tallyman and Fred Weapenicappo participated in

this project in 1978-1979. The program gave them timeto empty the lodges before the flooding.

Compensations

• They received some material from SOTRAC to buildcamp #1 back in 1985, a camp that is not located in theflooded area. The tallyman mentioned that he did notreceive compensation for the seven flooded camps..

• The trapline users have been receiving a subsidiary forgas from CTA of about $600 annually.

• The plane fare is still provided by CTA or Band Councilof Wemindji.


• In compensation for the flooded camps, the tallyman requests that Hydro-Québecgives him a shack capable of accommodating 2 families near campsite #3. He addsthat since Hydro-Québec earns money from his trapline it could give him the materialto build it himself.

• Fred Weapenicappo would like also to have some material to build a cabin.

• Fred Weapenicappo would want Hydro-Québec to connect electricity to camp #1.

• The tallyman requests that the access road from La Sarcelle to dikes 2-OE-04 and 1-OE-33 be maintained so it could be used.

5


Identification / Comments on ImpactsSource of

Impact• Navigation obstacles

• Many segments of the river are completely dried out due to thepermanent reduced flow of the Opinaca River.

• Loss of main navigation route. Numerous obstacles along the riverand dried out segments. Long portages (on of about 1 km, anotherone of 3 km) to do over the dried out segments. Necessity to have2 motor boats, one on each side of the longest dried segment

• Reduced water level in nearby lakes and rivers tributaries ofOpinaca River/Worsened navigation conditions• Development of shoals and banks in lakes, tributary rivers and

creeks.• Navigation is almost impossible on the lakes near Km 440 of the

James Bay Road and especially on Kachistasakaw Lake becauseof development of shoals

• Deadmarsh (Pikuatamaw) Lake is almost completely dried out.

• Loss of a Sturgeon spawning ground on the Opinaca River• The sturgeon spawning ground is now dried up

• Loss of prime fishing areas on the Opinaca River• The migration route for the sturgeon is now cut because some river

segments are dried out.

• Decrease of available resources• The sturgeon population has decreased all along the river.

• Decrease of fish quality• Fish specimens are skinny and smaller than before and than the

fish in other sectors.• The river water is white tainted and more turbid, affecting the

sturgeon.

• Loss of harvesting areas on the shorelines• The beavers abandon their lodges during the winter because the

water level decreases and their lodges remain exposed above it.

• Worsen harvesting conditions• Because of the erosion, there are lots of logs floating along the

river banks and blocking the access to the creeks and to beaverlodges.

Reduced flowon Opinaca

River

6



Impact

• Aggrieved feelings by the diversion of the Opinaca River• Feelings of sadness and devastation caused by the reduced flow

of the river.• The exposed banks sadness the tallyman’s wife.• The tallyman of VC23 asserted that the tallymen with traplines

downstream of the reservoir share the feeling of resentfulnessbecause they weren’t taken into account when the diversion wasdone. They weren’t informed about upcoming impacts on landscope and resources.

• Tired of constantly have to ask for cleaning the debris and repairthe damages done. Disappointment as nothing is done to repairthe damages to the land.

• Loss of drinking water source• Loss of water sources as they can’t drink the river water anymore

because of increased turbidity.

• Snowmobile travelling conditions• Because there’s no more flow immediately downstream the dam,

the river is completely frozen all winter long.

• Debris left on site• Drums left all along the Opinaca River shores.

• Permanent loss of land base on the easternmost part of thetrapline

• New harvesting areas• They only started to hunt the geese some ten years ago as they

pass by over the trapline probably towards the inland reservoirs.Seven spring small hunting areas were identified, all of them beinglocated on the western part of the trapline. The flooded area fromthe Boyd-Sakami diversion became a goose hunting area. No fallgoose hunting is done on the trapline, the family hunting then alongthe Coast.

OpinacaReservoir

• Facilitated access to trapline• The tallyman accesses more rapidly his trapline.

• Road Access/Increased presence of other users

Access road toLa Sarcelle and

Route de laBaie James

7



Impact• The road facilitates the access of non-Cree fall moose hunters to

the trapline where they establish their camps.• Crees of Wemindji and of Eastmain, as well as non-Cree come and

fish pike in the Opinaca Reservoir and are seen along the LaSarcelle road. They do not fish downstream of the dam on OpinacaRiver.

• Non-natives from Chibougamau and from all over the world comefor snowmobile trip, dog sled expeditions, trail skiing.

• Loss of security, confidence and tranquility• The tallyman had various break-ins into his camps and lost valued

material: a 4-wheeler, 3 boats, one 30 hp motor, a gas stove, traps,and a tent.

• Increased pressure of non-Crees on the resources• Non-Cree enter the trapline to hunt moose, partridge and to fish.

• Modified hunting activities due to increased presence of non-Cree hunters• The tallyman postpones his own hunting because of the presence

of too many non-native hunters during the fall moose huntingseason.

• Debris left on site• All along the Route de la Baie James (drums, white crane and

other debris)

• Ditches and Mounds (from road construction)• The ditches are 40 to 50 feet deep and represent a clear danger as

someone could fall inside when travelling on a stormy day.• Nothing grows inside the ditches or on the mounds.• Trappers need to make a detour to avoid the ditches and the

mounds, lengthening their route to the trapline while using asnowmobile or a 4-wheeler.

8



Impact

• Cleared right of way used as short distance routes• Tallyman and other trappers use the clearings for a short distance

during the winter to travel inside the trapline.• Snowmobile race “Le raid des braves” uses the clearings under the

line close to the road as a route to cross the trapline.• Concerns about the use of chemical defoliants

• Possibility of using chemical defoliants under the transmission linesworries the tallyman and other trappers.

Transmissionlines

(# 6, 7, 8 and11)

• Debris left on site• Drums full of oil were buried in the trapline, others are scattered

along the river bank.• Debris left on site of the ancient Hydro-Québec camps were now

cleaned up. The old Hydro-Québec construction camp was alsodismantled and its debris buried on site

• Loss of material related to Hydro Quebec personnel working in acamp• Hydro Quebec workers are presumed to have taken an 18 ft boat

and the traps inside it while cleaning the old Hydro camp.

ConstructionPeriod

• Lack of consultation• The tallyman wasn’t informed about the diversion of the Opinaca

River, the construction of the Route de la Baie James and the roadto La Sarcelle.

• In the 1970’s, the tallyman never was consulted about the “project”and the works to be done on his trapline.

• Lack of information on the impacts• The tallyman and other trapline users weren’t appropriately

informed about the impacts to come with the Opinaca diversion.

• Lack of communication• The tallyman feels that for the past 30 years he repeatedly had to

ask for information regarding the projects underway or to come.• The tallyman would like to impart to Hydro-Québec the

responsibility to inform the land users about the studies beingconducted on their trapline and any other maintenance work andproject that will have an impact on the region.

Communication process

9


Measures or works Evaluation and comments

Weir #9

• The weir does not work properly• The water level fluctuate and the beaver lodges are

dried out. The tallyman lost some beavers.• Further upstream of it, is where the sturgeon can survive

adequately because incoming water from adjacentlakes.

• Its repairing is a big concern for the tallyman. He wouldlike to be informed and wonders how the water level inthe river will be affected.

Spur on Opinaca River

• Doesn’t keep an appropriate water level. According tothe tallyman, ever since the spur upstream the secondrapids was built, paddling on the Opinaca River hasbecome difficult. Downstream of this remedial work, thetallyman wasn’t able to use his motor boat for the lasttwo years because the water level is too shallow. Theyhad to use two boats, one on each side of the segmentcomprised between the dike and the rapids downstreambecause it was too difficult to portage over more than 3km.

Seeding and plantingon exposed banks

• They didn’t work as supposed. They’re all gone becausethe water level of the river is too shallow.

Renewal cuts• The tallyman didn’t have any comment about that when

asked.


• The tallyman requests that a section of the winter road joining the access road toLa Sarcelle be repaired over a distance of about 2 km (north of Opinaca River)

• The tallyman request that an access road be open on the south shore of OpinacaRiver in order to by-pass the dried-up rapids on the river.

• In the La Sarcelle road area, the tallyman wants Hydro-Québec to install gates tocontrol the access of fall non-Cree moose hunters to his trapline and camp area.

• The tallyman want to be kept informed about other studies that have been done orare underway, notably those related to the sturgeon.

• The tallyman requests that the sections where he has to portage on the riverjoining Bernou Lake and Pikutamaw Lake, be cleaned because the erosioncauses many trees to fall down.

• Requested that the open ditches and the mounds of gravel be cleaned up andremoved.

10


• Finish the cleaning work of oil drums (dig out the drums) and the mitigationmeasures.

• Clean the debris along the Route de la Baie James.

• The tallyman requested to fly over weir #9 and be informed about the repair worksthat will be done.

• Receive information about the utilisation of chemical defoliants under thetransmission lines.

• Arrange the dike on the Opinaca River differently so as to keep the water level.

5



• Permanent loss of land base• Half of the trapline (mainly the central and western part of it) was

flooded by the impoundment of the reservoir.

• Loss of traveling route• The traditional traveling route crossing the trapline from west to

east has been flooded.

• Loss of campsites• At least 16 campsites have been flooded.

• Flooding of burial sites• Three burial sites were flooded.

• Loss of a gathering place• The pool area on a La Grande River arm where trapline users

and people of other traplines gathered.

• Flooding of valued areas• Among others, the most valued area, the pool area on a La

Grande River arm, was flooded. It is a loss for its scenery, for thesound of its waterfalls and its good swimming sites, overall for thegood living conditions in this area, especially in the spring time.

• Loss of harvesting areas• Beaver trapping areas have been flooded.• Valued muskrats trapping areas have been flooded. Almost no

more muskrat trapping is done over the trapline.• Valued mink and lynx trapping areas have been flooded. Almost

no more trapping is done for these animals on the trapline today.• Moose hunting areas have been flooded. Fewer moose hunted

since.• Bear dens have been flooded.

• Loss of fishing sites and spawning ground• Many fishing sites have been lost with the impoundment of the

reservoir.


Reservoir

6



• Loss of security of snowmobile trails• For 20 years after the impoundment, dead trees and debris

emerged from the ice, making the reservoir unsafe forsnowmobile traveling.

• Adaptation to ice conditions• For the last couple of years, the trapline users have started to

travel by snowmobile on the reservoir but have to wait until afterChristmas for the ice to be thick enough.

• Loss of navigation routes/Avoidance of the impacted area• Since the impoundment, the trapline users avoid travel by boat on

the reservoir as it is considered as unsafe because of the debrisand dead trees emerging in the water.

• Decrease of trapping potential for the years to come/Decreaseof income• Little trapping was done on the trapline during the years following

the impoundment of the reservoir.• A small beaver quota is accorded to the trappers since the

trapping potential of the trapline has highly decreased.• The limited amount of resources on the land impedes some

family members from getting involved in the trapping activities.

• Loss of harvesting areas on the shorelines• After the impoundment, the trappers did not trap along the

reservoir shores as they were warned about the danger of travelon the reservoir because of the bad ice conditions.

• Changes in game and changes in game consumption• The tallyman buys beaver meat from beaver trapped in the south

because not enough beaver is trapped on his trapline for hisconsumption. He says that the beaver tastes different than thebeaver from his trapline.

• Before the project, the tallyman trapped beaver with very darkpelts on his trapline and he says that he has not seen such peltsince the project.

• Change in fishing activities and in fish consumption because ofmercury• No fishing is done in the reservoir because of the fear of mercury.• Most of the fish populations (pike, lake trout, speckled trout,

suckers and whitefish) have been affected by the flooding. Today,the trapline users mostly eat fish from the Bay during the summereven if they still fish in Guyer Lake..

Existence of LaGrande-3Reservoir

7



the trapline users mostly eat fish from the Bay during the summereven if they still fish in Guyer Lake..

• Decrease of available resources/Modified hunting activities• No more bear is hunted on the trapline today as their dens have

been flooded and there is almost no more space for them to liveon the trapline.

• Gain of new waterfowl hunting areasGoose hunting is a more important activity inland. There are moregeese inland due to the presence of new open water bodies.

8



• Road Access since the opening of the Wemindji Road in 1995• Easier access to the trapline. It takes three hours by truck to

access the trapline.• The trapline users working in the village can easily access the

trapline during the week-ends.• It is easier for the tallyman to go on the trapline for short period of

times.

• Road access/Increase pressure on resources• The tallyman considers that the easier access to trapping areas

by outsiders since the existence of the road is a factor influencingthe decrease of the beaver population.

• Since the existence of the road, many people have access toGuyer Lake and the fish population is decreasing there as it isbeing fished out.

• More people are hunting moose along the road and the traplineusers sometimes do not get a chance to kill one.

• Road Access/Loss of control of the tallyman• Especially before the Wemindji Road was built, the trapline users

felt that they had no control over the activities on their land as theChisasibi people could easily reach the trapline while theythemselves were subjected to the limited plane trips.

• Outsiders go on the trapline without bothering to stop to ask thetallyman. For him this represent a lack of respect.

• Road Access/Loss of security, confidence and tranquility• Easier access makes the camps unsafe. Many things have been

stolen, notably from camp #22. The trapline users hardly leaveany equipment at the camps now.

Transtaïga Road

• Loss of campsite (radio transmission affected)• Camp #24 is only used as a storage place because it is located

too close to the transmission line and the radio transmissions areaffected.

Transmissionlines

• Lack/Deficient information on the impacts• The tallyman considers that false information was given to him

before the project. He was notably told that the burial sites wouldnot be flooded. He also participated in a meeting where heunderstood that the quality of fish would not be affected.

• Lack/Deficient consultation process


9



• The tallyman is critical about the way the consultation sessionswere organized because so many people were attending them.He feels that he did not have the opportunity to express hisconcerns properly.

• The tallyman says that he has not been consulted about theconstruction of the Transtaïga Road and he realized that the roadwould be crossing his trapline only during the construction time.

• Debris left on site• Drums have been left on the trapline after the construction was

over. However, they might have been cleaned up during the lastcleaning program.

ConstructionPeriod



Plantation in borrow pits

• The borrow pit at the western border of the trapline isnot used by the tallyman’s family. Hydro-Québecemployees use it as a shooting range, setting up manymoose-like targets. In the early 1980’s, it is the SQPolice that was using it. Therefore, the trapline usersavoid this area.

• The bulldozer trail opened up to link the borrow pit tothe dykes turned out to be useful as a snowmobile trail,but vegetation is now overgrown.

Net fishing area• The interviewees were told that some net fishing areas

would be fixed but this was never done.


Measure or work Evaluation and commentsSnowmobile trails doneby the Sotrac in 1984-1985

• The trapline users were consulted to determine thelocation of the trail.

Rejuvenation cutting formoose yard (Sotrac)(1985)

• They do not hunt moose there, but when they passedby with the winter expedition they saw a lot of moosetracks so it must have worked out.

Trapping out Program• Relocation of beaver would have been a better

measure.• What the tallyman thinks about the trapping out

program…is that he just hardly can eat beaver from histrapline today.

10

program…is that he just hardly can eat beaver from histrapline today.

Programs and subsidies

• The tallyman says that a lot of money was made by HQout of what was done on his trapline and he feels thatmore compensation should be made for the oneshaving their traplines flooded.


• 1) The gas drums that were left on the trapline after the construction period shouldhave been cleaned right away. Cleaning-up of the debris is a main concern of thetallyman as he worries about the environment. (The gas drums might have beencleaned during the clean up two year ago, but he hasn’t been healthy enough togo and check)..

• 2) To fix the gravel road going to Guyer Lake.

• 3) To put a gate to control the access to the gravel road going to Guyer Lake andconsequently to control the fishing activities in the lake.

• 4) To put a gate to restrict the access to the sensitive beaver habitat along theaccess roads going to the dykes, not to impede the HQ workers checking thedykes but to control the hunting activities on the land. (And not having the samekey for everybody.)

• 5)To set a program to reallocate the traplines in order to help people who havelost a lot of land base.

• 6) To set a beaver relocation program in order to help people who have lost a lotof land base.

• 7) To renew the animals’ habitats.

• 8) To make a beaver inventory and to give out to the tallyman an aerial picture ofthe trapline for him to see what it looks like today.

4



• The family valued area where the main camps were located andthe main activities conducted is now underwater.

• Two burial sites were flooded

• Loss of fishing and spawning areas• Some lakes where the tallyman used to fish walleye, suckers and

whitefish disappeared with the reservoir impoundment.• Because the tallyman is afraid of the mercury, as during the

mercury testing on people, he showed a high rate of mercury, hestopped eating the walleye in a lake that is now connected to thereservoir as well as from the reservoir.

• New resources• The numerous geese found on the trapline are obviously without

comparison to the one or two geese that could be hunted beforethe reservoir existed. The duck population has also increasedsince the impoundment of the reservoir.

• New hunting area• The flood linked a lake to the reservoir and at their junction

there’s a spawning ground for walleyes. Now the tallyman huntsthere black bears that come to feed on the fish.

• Loss of landing sites• With the impoundment of the reservoir, two landing sites were

lost.

• Aggrieved feelings• The tallyman’s father was upset and worried for his son future

when he saw his land flooded.

• Increased presence of other users

• For many years, other Crees from Chisasibi have been trappingon VC25 without the tallyman permission. They had an easieraccess because their community was linked to the road networkearlier than Wemindji.

• With other hunters on his territory, the tallyman felt he had lostcontrol of his trapline and couldn’t manage the resourcesadequately.

• New access road to the trapline• Since the linking of Wemindji to the road network in 1995, the

access to the trapline is now much easier. The tallyman can gomore often to the trapline and therefore he feels that he hasregain control of it.

Transtaiga Road

5



more often to the trapline and therefore he feels that he hasregain control of it.

• Loss of harvesting resources• There are less beavers than before because other trappers come

into the trapline since the Transtaiga road exists (1977). There islots of poaching.

• Modified hunting activities• Currently, the tallyman, because he is growing older, hunts along

the road during the fall.

• Gain of a new snowmobile trail• The transmission lines right of ways turned out very useful at the

beginning to travel by snowmobile. Yet they became overgrownwith vegetation and thus not used anymore. They recently starteda slashing program.

• Disturbance of radio transmission• Occasionally, the radio signal does not come in properly when at

camp #3. It could be blamed on the lines, or it could theatmosphere.

• No concerns about the quality of resources• The blueberries under the lines are picked up. Even during the

dry summers, they get big while elsewhere they are small allover.

Transmissionlines

• Deficient information• The tallyman wasn’t aware that a road would cross through his

trapline until he saw the ongoing work.• The tallyman knew about the transmission lines when he saw the

workers camps.

• Consultation process• The tallyman was aware of the upcoming flooding. He attended

the consulting meetings.


6



Boat ramp • The tallyman used it only a few times to go on the reservoir.

Multifunctional areas • The tallyman wasn’t aware of this measure.

Seeding in borrowpits • The tallyman wasn’t aware of this measure.


• To clear the road leading to the boat ramp at dyke TA-42 because the vegetation isovergrown. (1)

• To clear the road leading to the reservoir close to camp #2 so he can collect thedead wood on the shores of the reservoir. (Measure # 1 on map)

• To clear the secondary road that leads to the reservoir shoreline on the easternsector of the trapline because the vegetation is overgrown. (Measure #1)

• To clear the road going from the gravel pit to the lake and fix it in order to haveaccess to the lake (location of the Hydro-Québec Camp from the 1980’s) where agoose pond is being built by the Apiticiwin Corporation. (Measure # 1)

• To have the secondary road at the central part of the trapline cleared and fixed.(Measure # 1)

• Build a boat ramp north of dam TA-32C. (Measure # 2 on map)

• Open a walking trail from the secondary road to the lake where speckle trout isabundant. A trail was first open by Hydro-Québec workers but needs to bereopened. (Measure # 3)

• To fix the goose pond near the borrow pit at the western sector of the trapline.(Measure # 4)

• To fix the secondary road leading to the goose pond. The road was washed away bya creek. (5)

• To clean the dead trees along the tallyman’s navigation route on the reservoir.(Measure # 6)

3



• Debris left behind• For over 20 years, some 30 big tanks and other gas drums were

left on the site of an Hydro-Québec construction camp. It is onlyrecently, some 5 years ago that they cleaned up.

• Presence of Hydro-Québec workers’ camps• Three workers’ camps have been built on the trapline during the

construction period and torn apart afterwards.

ConstructionPeriod

• Permanent loss of land base• Parts of the trapline have been flooded by the reservoir.

• Loss of trapping areas on the shorelines• There’s far less beaver on the shores of the reservoir.• Muskrats aren’t abundant as before.

• Relocation of camps• Six main camps and three temporary camps from the central

sector of the trapline were flooded as well as one main campsited on a lake along the northeastern border of the trapline. Nodirect compensation was received for these loss.

• Loss of harvesting resources• The tallyman doesn’t trap on the reservoir because the beavers

from the flooded areas couldn’t really be consumed because themeat wasn’t good; it didn’t have any fat at all. In fact, it isunderstood that when a beaver is so thin and no fat found inside,it is most probably that it is diseased and the tallyman burns thecarcasses

• The tallyman observed that in the small islands in the reservoir,the beavers start building their lodges and food banks, but in thefall when the water starts raising in the reservoir, the beavers areforced out of their lodges. The tallyman found dead beavers 20years ago and still today, he sees tracks of beaver leaving theislands trying to reach lakes, but as it is already late in theseason, they have no time to build new lodges and food banks.Even otter do not survive the water rise, as he found an otterskeleton.

• Loss of valued area


4



• Disturbance from the construction period• At the beginning of the 1970’s when the construction of the road

started, they did not stopped going to this camp (#1), they stillwent trapping in the area but the workers were around and thehunting and the trapping was disturbed by the blasting.

• Loss of resources• During the 1970’s, the interviewees had refrain from eating bear

for sometime because the bears were feeding on garbage fromthe different Hydro-Québec camps, namely, the roadconstruction camp, built close by camp #15, and then theLemoyne Substation construction camp.

• Theft perpetrated by the workers• During the construction period, while workers were making

studies on the De Pontois River, traps were stolen in camp #6.Cree workers are suspected of having done this.

• Damages done to resources• During the construction time of the transmission lines, nests with

baby rabbits in them and grouse eggs were destroyed by theclear cutting done for the lines right of way.

ConstructionPeriod

• Flooding of valued areas• The valued area located in a bend of the De Pontois River, in

camp #7 sector has been flooded.

• Flooded camp and lost equipment• Camp # 7 was partly flooded, the water having went further then

what was expected by Hydro-Québec that had cut the trees alongthe shores but not far enough. As a result of this, they lost someequipment in their camp. They were not compensated by Hydrobut a game warden gave them some traps to help them out.

• Loss of harvesting area• The ptarmigan hunting area located in the valued area mentioned

above has been lost, the good vegetation for ptarmigan to feedon having been flooded.

• Loss of trapping area• They found no signs of beaver when they travelled upstream from

the De Pontois River, lots of lodges haven been lost.


Reservoir

5



• Avoidance of fishing areas because of mercury• The trapline users do not eat fish from the Reservoir because

they were warned about the mercury problems. They eat thesturgeon caught on their trapline although they had first camefrom the reservoir. (a new spawning ground was found on DePontois River).

• Gain of new waterfowl hunting area• More geese are hunted on the trapline because the goose

population increased on it since the existence of the reservoir andthey fly more inland.

Existence of LaGrande-3Reservoir

• Road access to the main camp since the existence of theWemindji Road in 1995.• The main camp #15 is located along the Transtaïga Road. It has

been built to replace the moss and log house from the 1970’s (#6)that had become the most used main camp after the constructionof the Transtaïga in 1977, as the road passed along this oldcampsite, making it easier for them to reach the camp. Prior to1995, the camp was access by vehicle from Chisasibi or LG-2where from the trapline users were driven to or drove their owntruck after haven been flown in from Wemindji. They now drivedirectly from Wemindji.

• Road access/Loss of security, confidence and tranquility• The trapline users do not leave their canoe or much equipment

at camp #15, because they are afraid that it could be stolen.• Caliber 22 Bullets were stolen from camp #15.

• Corridor hunting/New harvesting area• One of the main trapping zones is located along the road.• Rabbit, moose, geese and ptarmigan hunting is done along the

road.

• Road Access/Increase presence of other users• Many people from Wemindji as well as from other communities

come to hunt moose on the trapline.

• Mistissini people access the eastern part of the trapline to huntmoose and trap beaver.

• Road Access/Loss of control of the tallyman• Mistissini people hunt moose and trap beaver without the

tallyman’s consent.

Transtaïga Road

6



tallyman’s consent.• A man from Mistissini built his cabin along the Transtaïga Road

without the tallyman’s consent.• The tallyman feels that his status is not respected as it should be

and that people just do what they want over his land withoutrespecting the rules.

• Road Access/Increase pressure on resources• The beaver is being over trapped because of the people going to

trap on the eastern part of the trapline without informing thetallyman.

• Decrease in beaver resource and in beaver consumption• Because the beaver is being over trapped, the trapline users trap

less and eat less beavers.

• Increased pressure on resources due to the increased presenceof other hunters• Since the road exists, people from other communities kill bears

along the road.

• Corridor hunting/New harvesting area

• Rabbit hunting is done along the access road.

• Road access/Increase presence of other users• A non Cree camp is located along the road. Non-Cree hunters

rent it for caribou hunting, so it is probably a small outfitting camp.• A mining prospector’s camp is located along the road.

• Gain of new access road• The trapline users use that road to go fishing in Guyer Lake.

Access Road(going to Guyer

Lake)

• Corridor hunting/New harvesting area• One of the main trapping area used by the two trappers today is

located along the transmission lines going from Le Moyne toAlbanel substations.

• Moose hunting is done under the transmission lines.

• New access trail• The old road under the lines makes the trapping area accessible

by truck and by snowmobile even if the trail is not in very goodshape.

Transmissionlines (735 kV)(9th, 10th, plusthree others)

7



• Concerns about quality of resources• The trapline users do not pick the berries under the transmission

lines because they suspect them of being affected by the electricfields.

• The trapline users do not eat the ducks and ptarmigans that falldead when hitting the transmission lines because their meat ishard and considered unfit for consumption.

• Loss of campsite (radio transmission affected)• The temporary camp #14 (moss and log house) that was located

close to the Transta_ga had to be broken apart due to itsproximity to the transmission line, the radio transmission beingdisturbed.

• Comments:• No difference has been noticed in the fishing conditions in Marbot

Lake.• No changes in the snowmobile travelling conditions on ice have

been noticed on Marbot Lake.

La FrégateDiversion

Increased flowin the De

Pontois River

• Lack/Deficient information on the impacts• The interviewees consider that they were not told the truth about

the impacts on the fish. They were first told that there would beno impacts, and then that they should not eat the fish in theflooded area.

• The interviewees consider HQ as responsible for themisinformation, even if it was transmitted through Creerepresentatives attending some meetings as HQ people nevercame around.

• The interviewees consider that the information they received onthe impacts was not sufficient as they were only told about theproblems they would experience with travel on ice in the impactedareas due to the water fluctuation.

• Mistrust created by a deficient communication process• For the interviewees, a mistrust and a feeling of having been

fooled result from the too much misinformation.

• Lack of cooperation• Hydro-Québec does not inform ahead if they are to destroy

beaver lodges in some construction areas. If they told ahead,trappers could go and trap them.


8



trappers could go and trap them.



• Boat Ramp

• The trapline users use the boat ramp to go upstreamthe De Pontois River.

• The boat ramp was also used by people from Chisasibigoing to fish sturgeon at the rapid upstream from the DePontois River and at its mouth.

• They consider that it was a good place to put a boatramp.

• Plantation in borrowpits

• Ducks are seen in borrow pits when some waterreaches them.

• Programs andSubsidies

• During the 1970’s people were generally not aware thatthey could file claims when property was stolen fromtheir camps by the workers. They filed afterwards forthe traps that had been stolen in their camp #6 butnever received compensation.



• Subsidies andPrograms

• Soon after the Transtaïga Road was built, the tallymanwas asked to give information on the location of theborrow pits on his trapline and understood that he wouldreceive something for his participation, but did notreceive anything and he wonders what all this wasabout.

• More recently the trapline users were asked to make alist of things they would need at their camp such ascooking gear, snowmobiles and winter clothes, butnothing came of this.

• The interviewees no longer believe that they will someday take advantage of any compensation or measure.

9

day take advantage of any compensation or measure.

• CTA Subsidies • Camp #15 has been built out of the CTA Subsidies.


• 1) To fix the access to road going to Guyer Lake, as they use it all the time duringthe winter time. The road is in really bad shape, water running over it. If the roadwas fixed, they could use it to go fishing during the summer.

• 2) To build a goose pond.

• 3) To widen the snowmobile trail.

• 4) To clear the old brush in order to renew the vegetation for the moose.

• 5) To built a new cabin in order to compensate for the camp they had to breakdown because of its proximity to the transmission line. (camp #14 on 1970’s map)

• 6) To be informed properly about the misinformation they received to give light todeception and unfulfilled promises perpetrated on them.

4



• Loss of valued area• Valued area notably for fishing and spring hunting has been lost

on the De Pontois River shores since the increased flowdownstream of De La Frégate Lake .

• Worsened navigation conditions• In the reduced flow section : The trapline users have navigation

problems in the Sakami River downstream from the dam. Thewater is very shallow and the river is accessible only with a lightpaddling canoe. It is easier to navigate coming down east-west inthis reduced flow section. There is no dried up areas, but theSakami River is low water all the way to Sakami Lake.

• In the increased flow section : No clear cutting was doneupstream from the dam of the La Frégate Diversion and, stilltoday, in a 1 km area from the dyke, trees are sticking out of thewater, along the flooded shores as well as where there was anisland close to the dam in De La Frégate Lake.

• Decrase of fish quality and quantity• The trapline users noticed a decrease in the fish quality in the

Sakami River downstream from the dam, and the fish are alsoless plentiful where the water is too shallow.

• Decrease of available resources• The tallyman associates the decrease of beaver population along

the Sakami River in the reduced flow area to the fact that thewater is too shallow for the beavers to build their lodges aroundthere.

La FrégateDiversion

• Road access to trapline• Three cabins have been built close to the roads under the

transmission lines• Camp #28, built in 1994, is the tallyman’s second main camp. As

it is located close to the 9th and 10th transmission lines crossingthe trapline on the eastern part of the trapline, it is also accessedby vehicle since 1995, directly from Wemindji. Yet themaintenance roads under the transmission lines were becomingnot very easy to use over the last couple of years as they arewashed out in some parts and vegetation is growing over them(the worst washed out area was located on the map).

Transmissionlines

5



• This 2003 summer, in July, some slashing was done on the mosteastern transmission line road, at least until camp # 28 and mostprobably further south, which will be quite an improvement.

• A small cabin for 4 persons built around 1984 is still found closeby on the site of the Hydro-Québec construction camp site fromthe 1980’s, along the transmission line road. It was accessed bythe Transtaiga road and the maintenance road under the easterntransmission lines that was well maintained in the 1980’s .

• Further along the transmission line road, at the southern border ofthe trapline, the tallyman’s brother Jimmy, has a camp (#33) thatmost probably burnt in the summer of 2002.

• Camp #26, Tommy’s winter main camp, a plywood cabin built in1996, is used almost every year by the trapline users since itsconstruction. It is located close to 12th transmission line and isaccessible by vehicle using the road under the line.

• Road access/Loss of security and confidence• Two break-ins happened in camp #28 located close to the 9th and

10th transmission lines. The trapline users do not leave valuableand very useful equipment in the camps anymore.

• Road access/Increased presence of other users• No foreign camps are located on the trapline, but some people

can access the trapline using the maintenance roads under thetransmission lines. In facts, the tallyman stated that he keeps onseeing people on the transmission line road, such as thisprospector caravan of 4 vehicles he saw in 2002.

• Easier access to some resources• Bear hunting is facilitated as they are easier to see from the

transmission lines right of ways when feeding on berries duringthe fall.

• Tallyman’s observation• The tallyman noticed that some animals, notably the moose, are

afraid by the noise of the transmission lines and stay away fromthem.

• Disturbance from Workers presence• There was a lot of traffic from the Hydro-Québec vehicles as

there was some 100 workers on the trapline.

6



• Debris left on site• Hydro-Québec construction camp site from the 1980’s where 15

to 20 trailers were installed for some 100 workers involved in theconstruction of the transmission lines (and/or dyke TB-01). Thetrailers were later moved out but gas drums were left behind andfor years were not yet cleaned out as was, in 1987, the Hydrogarbage dump found on the neighbouring southern trapline. Onlyrecently, in spring 2003, the gas drums would have been picked-up.

• Lack of information/Lack of consultation Process• The tallyman has not been informed about the works that went on

on his trapline. He has the feeling that it was done behind theirback, without information and without compensation from HQ.When the transmission lines where built, the tallyman was at hiscamp on the western part of the trapline and after New Years,when they went on the eastern part, it was a complete surprisefor the tallyman and his son to find workers building lines.


• Modified hunting activities due to increased presence of non-Cree hunters• When there is a lots of non-Cree caribou hunters along the

Transtaïga Road, the trapline users hardly kill any caribou on theland as the animals are “blocked” north of the Transtaïga Road.


trapline)


• 1) To fix the road under the transmission lines.

• 2) To add gravel in order to fix the section of the road passing over the SakamiRiver.

• 3) To make a 4-wheelers trail from the road to the lake facing the camp #27.

• 4) To do clear cutting before flooding an area. No clear cutting was done upstreamfrom the dam of the La Frégate Diversion and trees are sticking out of the water asthere was an island close to the dam in De La Frégate Lake.

• 5) To compensate the workers who have to use their own equipment whenworking on the mitigation measures or to provide them with good equipment.

4



• Workers Camp• Two temporary Hydro-Québec for slashing trees around the

future reservoir borders were set up on the trapline,respectively on the north and south of the Menouow Lake.The workers, a team of a dozen of workers (French speakingworkers, no Crees), came during the summer from La SarcelleControl Structure using heavy equipment. These camps nolonger stand on the trapline. No debris were left on site.

ConstructionPeriod

• Loss of camps• The camps on the shores of Opinaca Lake, at the eastern

sector of the trapline have been flooded : at least 6 campswere flooded.

• The tallyman wasn’t informed about the flooding and couldn’tget out some equipment he had in his camps. (canoe, traps,snowshoes).

• Loss of resources• Beavers moved out from the impacted area to the eastern

sector of the trapline because of the changing water level inthe reservoir that, still today, floods the beaver lodges.

• The Opinaca Lake was a plentiful beaver area.

• Loss of fish resources• The tallyman lost the fish resources because still today the

trees in the reservoir doesn’t allow him to put his nets andbecause of the mercury. It is only in 1997 that the tallymanstarted eating fish from the reservoir, catching sturgeon,walleye, pike and whitefish below the doors of the dikesnearby camp #1 because, at present time, he is not worriedabout the mercury issue.

• Change in appreciation of resources• The taste of the beavers remaining near the reservoir is

different than those elsewhere because of the deterioratedwater quality in the reservoir.

According to the tallyman, since the time of the impoundment,the taste of the fish from the reservoir was not the same asbefore because of the water quality that had changed, beingmuddy at the time of construction and afterwards beingaffected by the decaying trees. Recently, the taste of fishstarted getting good again.

OpinacaReservoir

5



• Activities relocation• During the construction and the impoundment of the reservoir,

the tallyman concentrated the trapping on the eastern sector ofthe trapline.

• The fishing activities had to be relocated after the reservoirwas impounded.

• The tallyman found it difficult to readapt to his trapline after theflooding.

• Unsafe circulation conditions• Navigating on the reservoir is not very safe, even with a big

boat because there are trees sticking out of the water.• Although he never got caught, shallow areas, such as the one

going from Camp #3 to the confluent of Menouow Lake, are tobe navigated carefully

• Can’t have access to the shores because there are full oftrees.

• During the winter, it’s dangerous to go on the reservoirbecause sometimes the water is over the ice and it’s not verystable. Some open-water areas must be avoided.

• Facilitated access to the trapline• The road allows a faster access to the camps along it. It takes

only 3 to 4 hours from the community. Yet the tallyman andother full-time trapline users do not own a vehicle and aredriven back and forth to the trapline three times a year by thelocal CTA., as are many other ISP participants in thecommunity.

• Nevertheless, it wasn’t without ease that the tallymanaccessed the trapline because for sometime there was alocked gate at La Sarcelle that stopped them on their way tothe trapline. Few years after, the tallyman obtained a key fromHydro-Québec.

• The access to the trapline is now possible by the road and thetrips to the trapline are more frequent than before for some ofthe users who own vehicles. The easier access allows the visitof many people to this camp, sometimes being more than 20persons, especially during the spring for the goose break.

• Easier Access and Increased Presence of Other Users• Other users have also an easier access to the trapline. People

pass by their camp on the road almost everyday. “There arecars coming up all the time”.

Access road toLa Sarcelle

control structureand to dyke OA-

01

6



• Easier Access and Loss of security, confidence andtranquility• The tallyman had some break-ins at his camps along the road

where some material was stolen and found damaged his 18 ft.canoe usually left near the gate at La Sarcelle.

• Temporarily abandoned area• During the construction of the transmission lines, the tallyman

avoided that area because of the disturbance.• Debris left on site

• Debris were left on site at the time of construction mostly in thecentral part of the trapline. Although some empty drums wererecently picked-up, still some drums, full of gas, are left on site,some 10 of them, or more. No debris were seen around theeasternmost transmission lines.

735 kVtransmission

lines (3)

• Lack of communication• The tallyman and his family were told of an upcoming flood but

they didn’t know the extent of it and lose some camps andbelongings.

• The tallyman and his family consider being unaware of whatwas going on in their territory as a big impact.

• The tallyman wasn’t informed about the mitigation measuresdone on his trapline.




Intensive trapping onOpinaca River at itsjunction with MenouowLake

• The tallyman participated in this program but hefound that it wasn’t adequate because they didn’t trapin what would be the most affected area. (Why ?)

Cleared area for netfishing

• The tallyman saw the clearing before theimpoundment but couldn’t locate it after the flooding.

Seeding andregeneration

• The tallyman didn’t see this measure and nobody toldhim about.

7

Clear cutting• The tallyman was told about the cutting but not the

reason for it. He’s disappointed that were mostly non-natives who did the work and Crees weren’t involved.


• The tallyman asked to extend the snow plowing on the road leading from LaSarcelle control structure to dike OA-01 until his camp. (The road has beenploughed last winter 2002-2003)

• The tallyman requested his camp #2 to be wired.

• The tallyman would like some sand to repair the road that leads to his campbecause it is too soft and muddy. It needs fixing.

4



• Flooding of burial site• The burial site located at the confluence of Gipouloux River with

Ell Lake has been flooded as well as the one in BaieKamiskamaskaw.

• Flooding of valued area• The family’s most valued area around Ell Lake has been flooded.• Campsite #3 that was a spring gathering place of many families

of neighbouring traplines and a fur pick-up site has been flooded.

• Loss of fishing sites and spawning grounds• The fishing and spawning areas for lake trout in Ell Lake has

been flooded.

• Flooding of campsites• Main camp #1 and 3 have been flooded along with six temporary

campsites (one moss and log house and five tepees).

• Loss of harvesting areas• A valued goose hunting area has been lost in Ell Lake.

• Loss of trapping areas• The beavers and muskrats trapping area along Ell Lake shores

have been flooded.

Impoundment ofOpinacaReservoir

• Loss of fishing area because of mercury• No more fishing is done in Ell Lake because of the fear of

mercury.

• Decrease of available fur resources• The decrease of trapping activities around Ell Lake is due to the

decrease of beavers, muskrats and the bear population in thisarea.

• According to the tallyman’s mother, “the mother of all beavers” isgone since the project, affecting the renewal of beaverpopulation.

• Worsened navigation conditions/ Loss of security• Navigation route on Opinaca Reservoir and Ell Lake (for fall

moose hunting) is less secure, debris and drift wood obstructingit.


Reservoir

5



• Loss of harvesting areas along the shorelines• The decrease of trapping activities in Ell Lake area in part due to

the difficulty of access to the shorelines.

• Worsened snowmobile travelling conditions/ Loss of security• Ice conditions are not safe because of the variation of the water

level.

• Gain of new waterfowl hunting areas• More goose are coming inland since the existence of the

Reservoirs and new goose hunting areas are found around EllLake and Opinaca Reservoir.

• Aggrieved feelings• The previous tallyman’s wife went to Ell Lake area after the

flooding, and to see the beavers and muskrats that had beendrowned was heartbreaking for her and her husband.

• Decrease of game/fish quality• The interviewees noticed a decrease in food quality in the

reservoir area. They assess that the taste of moose has changeddue to the changed quality of water and vegetation.

• A couple of years after the impoundment, some beavers in EllLake area were diseased. Their flesh was like fish eggs and hadlumps in it.

• The beavers in the impacted area are obese, maybe due to somerestriction of movement experienced in the area.

• Gain of new access trail (since the existence of the WemindjiRoad in 1995)• When the condition of the road permits it, the trapline users are

able to access the trapline using the road under the 9th and 10th

transmission lines (until km90).

• Gain of new snowmobile trail• The right of way under the 12th line is used as a snowmobile trail

to travel within the trapline.

• Gain of new access trail for other users• The transmission lines permits others users, non-Cree moose

hunters based on VC-36 to access the trapline and to poach on it.

Transmissionlines

6



• Road Access/Increased pressure on resources• Since the presence of outfitting camps for caribou hunters, and

an increased number of hunters along the Transtaïga road, theanimals are kept north of the road and do not come as much onthe trapline anymore.


trapline)

• Facilitated access to trapline (since the existence of theWemindji Road in 1995)• Some of the trapline users who are full-time workers can go by

truck until La Sarcelle and then go by boat to the trapline. (Thefull-time trappers are flown in).

Route de la BaieJames/La

Sarcelle ControlStructure

Access Road(not on the

trapline)

• Lack/Deficient information on the impact• The year of the impoundment, they had to be evacuated from

their first campsite and to dress a new camp further away fromthe flooded area in late November, because the map of thepredicted impoundment area they had received was not accurate.



Measure or work Evaluation and commentsCleared bank forspawning areas (in EllLake)

• They do not fish in Ell Lake because of fear of mercury.• Not aware of it.

Riparian habitatreconstructed (KapichinBay, on Ell Lake)

• Not aware of it. Actually state that no work was everdone at this location.

Cleared tributary of theOpinaca River

• Were aware of it. No comments.

Regeneration cutting • Not aware of it.

7



Trapping Out Program

• They participated in the trapping out program and thinkthat it was a good thing, but other beavers came tooccupy the area after the intensive trapping was donebecause they could find good vegetation to feed on.These beavers could not be trapped and were drownwith the impoundment of the reservoir.

CTA Subsidies

• The material for the construction of camp #15 wasprovided by the CTA.

• CTA provides 6 one way plane trips per year for thefamily.


• 1) To fix the road under the transmission line and to continue it until km 95 and up tothe Opinaca River. That request has been already made by the previous tallyman.. Itbecomes very important to access that part since the other side of the trapline hasburnt down.

• 2) To fix a spawning ground for lake trout, sturgeon and pike because the area islikely to be used by these species of fish, as suggested by the tallyman. Yet SinclairMayappo is concerned that, if there is more flooding due to Eastmain-1 Project, thefish will not come in that area.

• 3) To fix a spawning ground for whitefish, lake trout and sturgeon. (This area is stillpart of the reservoir)

• 4) To fix a spawning area for walleye.

• 5) To fix a spawning area for sturgeon.

• 6) To clean the area of drift wood lying along the shores in order to facilitate mooseand goose hunting.

• 7) To fix a moose yard (some slashing has already been done by the family).

• 8) To build a cabin in order to use the unburnt area close to the access road underthe transmission lines.

• 9) To be provided with a navigation map in order to know the safe routes on theOpinaca reservoir, so they are able to hunt moose and goose safely travelling byboat.

• 10) To put a gate on the Transtaïga Road at kilometre 186 to restrict the access ofthe road under the transmission line.

• 11) To investigate the cause of diseases when hunters kill infected game.

4



• Worsened navigation conditions• Since the current in the river is not strong enough to push the flow

out in the Bay, the waves coming from the Bay are too big toallow the people to go out when the wind blows hard from thewest.

• Delayed access (up river, out in the Bay) because of sandbars• People must wait for high tide to navigate on the Eastmain River,

on the À La Pêche River and to go out in the Bay.

• Navigation obstacles• Because of the reduced flow and the tidal action, sandbars are

expending at the river mouth and along the river. People have tonavigate following the main channel at low tide and have to govery slowly and check for the obstacles.

• Loss of easy river access to other traplines• People willing to access the traplines upstream the First Rapid by

canoe using the Eastmain River would need to use a 16 footerpaddling canoe and cross a lots of portages.

• Loss of river access to trapline and to camps• Travelling upstream the First Rapid by boat is complicated and

access to camp #5 at the Nistuchun Confluent is now done byplane before freeze up.

• Increased difficulties for canoe landing and access to camp dueto wider shorelines• Because of the exposed banks, it is difficult to land close to the

camps by canoe.

• Broken equipment• Motors have been broken on sandbars and rocks while travelling

on the river because of the obstacles raising since the reducedflow.

• Loss of security of snowmobile trail/Adaptation to iceconditions• Unsafe ice condition to travel by snowmobile in springtime,

especially in the estuary. Ice thickness is affected by the saltywater and the tidal action.


5



• The ice freezes later in fall, all along the river up to the FirstRapid.

• Access to the islands in the estuary that are notably sources offresh water, and driftwood picking is less secure winter and springtimes because of unsafe ice condition.

• Necessity to monitor the ice every spring.

• Worsen snowmobile travelling conditions• The camps along the coast are accessible by snowmobile only

after Christmas because in early winter, the shorelines are full ofice and frozen mud piled up (combined effect of the reduced flowand the tidal action).

• Loss of drinking water source• Loss of drinking water source in the Eastmain River: The water is

brown and muddy because of the reduced flow and the increasedwater turbidity.

• Loss of fishing sites and spawning grounds• The spawning area for ciscoes and brook trout which was located

in between the islands across the river from the À La Pêche Riverhas been dried out after the diversion.

• No more fishing is done at the river mouth because the water istoo shallow and muddy to put nets and debris and seaweed getstuck in the nets.

• Some fishing spots have been lost in the À La Pêche River.

• Modified fishing activities (including displacement of activities)• Sturgeon is not found all along the river anymore. Only one

sturgeon fishing spot is found on the trapline since diversion.• Brook trout and whitefish are rather found along the coast than in

the river since the diversion.

• Modified communal fishing activities• The summer fishing activities are rather done along the Bay than

in the river since diversion.

• Decrease of game/fish quality• Brook trout fished in the À La Pêche River is not as big and

strong as it used to be.• The overall quality of the resources living by and into the

Eastmain River has decreased, reflecting the modifiedenvironment the animals had to adapt to.

6



environment the animals had to adapt to.

• Decrease of available resources• Pike population has decreased in the Eastmain River because it

needs fresh and clean water to live.

• Decrease of trapping potential during the years following thediversion• The tallyman evaluates that it took two years, after the diversion,

before the vegetation started to come back on the exposed banksof the river, and that it took up to ten years for the habitats torenew.

• Gain of new fishing area• A new fishing area was created by the formation of a bay due to

the connection of the tip of an island with the mainland,downstream from the First Rapid, in front of camp #9. Before thediversion, the water was too deep to put fishnets there. It is theonly place where the sturgeon is still fish on the trapline.

• Changes in diet• Fish was the main food resource before the diversion. Now the

tallyman do not go himself to fish in the Bay and get his fish fromother people. He eat mostly salt water fish.

• Decrease of easy access to good fishing spots reduced theimportance of fishing activities and the importance of theconsumption of fish.

• Loss of swimming areas along the Eastmain River shores.• Loss of harvesting areas on the shorelines

• Feeding grounds for beavers, geese, ducks and other gameshave been affected along the Eastmain River.

• The vegetation is drying along the exposed banks and drift woodand erosion affect the access to the shores for harvestingactivities.

• Increase pressure on resources

• After the impoundment, some inlanders could not go to trap ontheir trapline for a couple of years and VC32 has been exposed tomore intensive exploitation because of more guest trapperspresent on the land.


Reservoir(outside of the

trapline)

7



• No trapping on the trapline for some time• As a consequence of the increase pressure on resources due to

an increase presence of trappers, the trapline users had to stoptrapping beavers at a certain point to let the resources reproduce.

• Decrease of available resources• The geese stay for less time on the coast during the spring and

are hardly seen during the fall because they fly more inland dueto the presence of the reservoirs.

• Lack/Deficient information on the impacts• The traplines users have not been informed properly on what the

impacts on the Eastmain River would be.• People were told that there was mercury in pike after the project

and they though that pike was affected everywhere, not only intothe reservoirs.

• Lack of consultation process• There has been no consultation before the project because the

ratification procedures of the JBNQ Agreement were too fast.



Measure or work Evaluation and commentsSeeding and planting onexposed banks at theconfluence withEastmain River andOpinaca River

• Not aware of it• They were never consulted about it

8


• #1) To build a 4-wheelers trail to give access to the goose hunting corridors fromcamp #8.

• #2) To do goose flyways corridors. These would allow to hunt with more security,watching each others while hunting because the area is becoming too crowded and itis dangerous.

• #3) To build a permanent family camp close to the community use camp #8 and apermanent camp for spring goose hunting on the coast shore at the northernborder of the tapline.

• #4) To build a permanent community fishing camp beside camp #9 in order toenhance the use of the river by the community members.

• #5) Renewed habitat for moose and goose.

• #6) To build goose ponds.

• #7) To dig a navigation channel from the River mouth up to the À L’Eau Froide River.

• #8) To fix a large snowmobile trail with smaller trails going inside the land on eachsides.

• #9) To build a snowmobile trail to reach camp #5 by the northern shore of the riverbecause they have to cross the river twice when taking the trail on the southernshore.

• Hydro should give subsidies the trappers every three years for the buying of asnowmobile.

• Hydro should subsidies the helicopter trips for goose hunting during the spring break.

4



• Loss of river access to trapline, to camps and to harvestingareas• Before the construction of the Eastmain Road, the trapline users

had to take the plane or to wait after freeze-up to access thetrapline due to the hazardous navigation conditions on theEastmain and the À La Pêche River.

• The camp, the moose hunting and fishing area located at theNitsuchun Confluent have to be accessed by plane during the fall.

• Worsened navigation conditions• Navigation within the trapline on the Eastmain and the Opinaca

rivers was hazardous after the diversion due to many navigationobstacles.

• The moose hunting and fishing areas upstream from theNistuchun Confluent have to be travelled with short shaft motors.

• Loss of security of snowmobile trails/Adaptation to iceconditions• Snowmobile trails on the rivers are less safe. Because of the

reduced flow, rocks emerge from the ice.

• Loss of fishing sites and spawning grounds• Spawning grounds and fishing sites have been lost in the

Eastmain and the Opinaca rivers. Notably, the prime fishing arealocated in the enlargement of the Opinanca River had been driedup and unusable until the construction of the weirs.

• Fish used to spawn and feed in small creeks, tributaries of thetwo rivers that were dried up after diversion.

• Sturgeon and other fish moved upstream from the weirs to finddeeper waters.

• Decrease of game/fish quality• Fish are smaller• The trapline users noticed a change in the taste of the fish caught

in the Opinaca and the Eastmain rivers.

• Decrease of available resources• Sturgeon and pike population decreased on the trapline.• Decrease of beaver and muskrat populations along the shores of

the Eastmain and the Opinaca rivers and in the tributaries, thefeeding grounds being affected and the water being too shallowto build lodges in some part of the rivers. The beavers movedaway from the river shores, going more inland.


5



away from the river shores, going more inland.• The trappers have to cover a larger area to gather the same

quantity of furs than before.

• Modified fishing activities (including displacement of activities)• Less fishing is done into the rivers. The trapline users rather fish

in the lakes of the northern part of the trapline.

• Decrease in fishing activities and decrease in fish consumption• The consumption of fish has decreased since the diversion, due

to a reduction of fishing activities into he rivers.

• Modified trapping and hunting activities• Less bears are killed because it was mostly the elders who were

trapping bears and they have the perception that since thediversion, the quality of the bears is affected because they feedon affected fish.

• Worsen or restricted landing conditions

• Before the diversion they could land anywhere with the plane,between two rapids, where they wanted to camp. But after thediversion they could not land wherever on the rivers.

• Road access/Increase pressure on resources• The sturgeons that are stuck between weirs #8 and #9 are being

fished out, this section of the river being easily accessible fromthe road and many people having access to this fishing area.

• Moose are moving west away from the road because of anincreased number of hunters. Consequently, the moosepopulation slightly decrease during the fall on the eastern part ofthe trapline.

• Road Access to trapline for others but not for the tallyman andfamily before 1995/Loss of control of the tallyman• The tallyman felt that he was loosing the control over the

management of his trapline before the construction of theEastmain Road in 1995.

• Access and use of the Route de la Baie James since theopening of the Eastmain Road in 1995• The tallyman has the feeling to have regain some control over the

trapline.• Cheaper access to the eastern part of the trap line. Access by

truck to James and Harry Weapenicappo’s camp.

Route de la BaieJames (1973)

6



truck to James and Harry Weapenicappo’s camp.• The tallyman is happy to have a camp of easier access for his

older days.

• Road Access/Increase presence of other users• Outsiders come on the trapline to hunt moose and to trap along

the La Sarcelle-OA-11 Dam access road without informing thetallyman:

• Road Access/Loss of security, confidence and tranquility• Traps, a stove and a motor were stolen from the tallyman’s camp

located along the access road.

Access Road (LaSarcelle and OA-

11 dam Road)(1977)

• Gain of new snowmobile trail• The right-of-way of the 11th transmission line is sometimes used

as a snowmobile trail.

• Concerns about quality of resources• They do not trap the beavers in the streams under the

transmission lines because of a fear that they could becontaminated. The tallyman thinks that this should be checkedout.

Transmissionline (11th)

• General Comments• The trapline users were briefly informed about the impacts of the

reduced flow before the diversion and about the transformation inthe means of transportation they would have to use to accesstheir trap line.

• They knew about the proposed weirs.


7



Seeding and planting onthe exposed banks of therivers Eastmain andOpinaca

• More moose are coming in the rivers area becausethere is new vegetation to feed on.

• The seeding has not been as helpful for the beavers asfor the moose because it has been done more inlandand not right on the river shores. However, somebeavers living along the streams more inland may feedon it.

• The shores should have been restored just as theywere before.

Weir #3 on EastmainRiver and Weir #8 onOpinaca River

• Weir #3 helps for the navigation upstream from it.• Weir #8 helps for the navigation on the enlargement of

the Opinaca River upstream from the weir.• After the construction of the weirs the fish feeding

grounds were renewed upstream from the weirs and thequality and the quantity of fish increased but neverreach the same state as before the project because theenvironment is still modified and the water level did notreturn to what it was before.

• Sturgeons are stuck between weir #8 and #9 (not on thetrapline) and have been almost fished out from thatsection of the Opinaca River.


• #1) To built the other five weirs that were planned but never done on the riversOpinaca and Eastmain (this would help the habitats to renew for the beavers and thefish and would also improve the navigation on the rivers).

• #2) To install a permanent camp for the nephews at Elmer Lake.

• #2) To replace the moss and log house that is falling apart by Elmer Lake by a cabin.

• #3) To build a fishing camp for the community members who do not have access to atrap line. This cabin would be easily accessible from the Route de la Baie James tofish in Duxbury Lake.

• #4) To build two goose ponds.

• #5) To maintain the snowmobile trail coming from Eastmain.

• #6) To fix a 4-wheeler trail to enhance the communal fishing activities in DuxburyLake.

5



• Loss of most of the three major prime trapping area• Flooding of 14 log and moss camps and of 4 tent frames• Flooding of 3 valued gathering areas for the family and friends

of other traplines• Loss of drinking water source in the Opinaca Lake• Flooding of a valued commercial fishing area• Flooding of birth and burial sites• Loss of fishing nets and traps close by a camp that was

flooded


• Aggrieved feelings• The father of the tallyman became “quiet” and unhappy because

he had no place of his own to trap.

• Impacted Tallyman’s way of life• Loss of the tallyman possibility “to live as a tallyman”, leaving him

without the “full resource to keep on doing the living off of theland”, leaving him with “not much land to manage”.

• Family livelihood jeopardized• Having to go and trap on other people trapline• Family divided to go and trap as guess on different traplines.• Limited trapping season on other people’s trapline• Reduce revenue due to only smaller parts of trapline allotted to

trap on other people’s trapline• After few years, embarrassment of having to ask to be “invited”

on other people’s trapline.

• Income reduction• Not returning to the trapline for 10 years, the trapline not being

fitted anymore to provide revenue.• Having to look for other revenue, such as working on the winter

trail project for Sotrac

• Decrease of trapping potential for years to come• Trapline provides less beaver than what it used to before the

existence of the Opinaca Reservoir, i.e. 10 beavers a yearcompared to a 100 previously

• Worsen or restricted plane landing conditions• No plane landing on the reservoir because of standing trees

sticking out of the water.


Reservoir

6



sticking out of the water.

• Limited access to the trapline• No available revenue to air travel to the trapline in its eastern

parts across the reservoir.• During the ’80, no larger motor boat to travel on a very windy

reservoir where trees and debris float along. Trip considered toorisky still today, even with the larger canoe the family boughtthemselves.

• Worsened navigation conditions• Unsafe and difficult canoe travelling condition to the camp # 4

built in 1994 southwest of Ukaw Lake due to trees and debrisfrom the Reservoir and in the channel leading to the camp.Consequently, camp rarely accessed. Financial help requestedfrom HQ to clean channel but it is an ongoing problem even 20years after impoundment.

• Loss of security of snowmobile trails• Risky snowmobile travel on the reservoir because of the frozen

dead trees in the ice cover.

• Modified fishing activities• When they became accessible, after 1995, La Sarcelle as well as

OA-04 dike and OA-05 dam areas became good fishing spots,yet, still 20 years after impoundment, the fishermen are hookingout a lot of dead tree logs.

• Changes in diet• Fish from the reservoir have not only different taste and texture, it

also has different appearance.• The beaver taste and texture changed as well, being less fat. The

beaver adapted to drawdown by building storey lodges.• The family diet changed dramatically because there was 90%

less beaver trapped and also less quality fish.

7



• Access to the trapline for other users through the Route de laBaie James since 1973; Access for the tallyman and family andother Eastmain people, not before 1995

• Limited access to trapline through the Eastmain snowmobiletrails (1978-1983)• Hardly any use of the winter snowmobile trail as the trip was too

hard and not financially worth while considering the state of thetrapline.

• Limited access to trapline through the Eastmain winter road(1983-1995)

• New access to the trapline through the Eastmain permanentroad since 1995• As the permanent road from the community was to open, giving

new access to the trapline, the family decided to built a new campin 1994 with financial support of the Band. But the travelconditions on the reservoir made it almost impossible to reach.

• After 1995, the community permanent road made it possible tobuilt two new camps along the access road to Dam OA-05,accessible all year round.

• Road access and Increased presence of other users• Because of road access, OA-04 dike, OA-05 Dam and La

Sarcelle Control Structure areas are used by the wholecommunity of Eastmain for fishing, goose and moose hunting inthe La Sarcelle area. Use also by many non-Cree fishermen andmoose hunters.

• Corridor hunting / New harvesting area• Other users kill beaver without asking permission, beaver lodges

being found empty along the road.

• Road access and Loss of security, confidence and tranquility• Because of road access, the family lost confidence and security

as they got robbed. They do not leave any equipment in the campand bring it back and forth from the community.

• An island and part of the main land burnt out because ofcarelessness of a non-Cree sport hunter.

• Road access and Loss of control of the tallyman• The opening of the road is mentioned as having an impact on the

tallyman’s role as he lost control on the management of thetrapline

Route de la BaieJames (since

1973)

8



• Modified hunting activities due to increased presence of non-Cree hunters

• As they already do, the tallyman and his brothers will refrain frombringing their families on the trapline during the non-native moosehunting season because of the increased risk of firearmaccidents. The men will go during the last week of that huntingseason because some moose hunter tend to leave as soon asthey have killed a moose. At that point, it is safer to go on thetrapline.

• Lack of information on the impoundment• Did not know the exact period when impoundment would occur.




• Plane landing area(two)

• Not aware of the presence of two landing areas. Thefamily does not see the usefulness of this measuresince pilots do not want to sea land on the reservoir

• Multi-purpose areas(access, navigation)

- At OA-05 Dam• Missing information

• Boat Ramp- One at La SarcelleControl Structure- One at OA-05 Dam

• Missing information

• Cleaning forreconstitution ofriparian habitat (threesites)

• Not aware of two of those areas. Hugo knows of onebut because it is not easily accessible, he cannotevaluate its usefulness for the wildlife. There is somefloating moss in that part of the reservoir that needs tobe cleaned to allow accessibility. A snowmobile trailcould also be done on the land as the ice on thereservoir is not safe to travel on to access this areaduring the spring time.

• Navigation channel(one channel) • Not aware of the channel

10



• Trapping out program(1979)

• Did participate but could trap out only one area, mainlythe Mistamiskwas Lake area. Some beaver were stillpresent on the trapline at the time of impoundment. Intwo lodges that he saw, he suspects the beaver to havedrowned. (A Sotrac program)

• Beaver RelocationProgram

• The tallyman participated. He said that some taggedbeaver came back to their original site inland as the sitethey were put in was too much of a different habitat (onthe coast)

• Reorganization oftraplines

• As it was stated in the James Bay Agreement, why theCTA did not extend the flooded trapline, modifyingborders of other traplines to give back land to theimpacted families ? (A Sotrac responsibility)

• Subsidies

• The family does not understand why Wemindji peoplewere compensated for the flooded camps and not theEastmain people. Is it the Wemindji Band Council tookupon himself to compensate ?

(Note from HQ : The funds for this program in Wemindjicomes from the Sakami Eeyou Corporation and not fromSotrac.)


• Cleaning of Reservoir Shores (measure #1)• Shore cleaning of dead trees and debris along the west border of the reservoir for

goose hunting• Shore cleaning of dead trees in La Sarcelle area that is a fishing area as well as

moose and goose hunting area.• Shore cleaning of floating islands, debris and dead trees along the south-west part

of the reservoir : it would make life easier and safer to access camp #4• Navigation channel (measure #2)

• Regular program of cleaning of a navigation channel leading to camp #4• A channel needs to be cleaned in the potential goose hunting area in the northeast

part of the reservoir.

• Air Travel and Reservoir Goose Hunting Helicopter Subsidy Program• Helicopter landing pad and travel to their camp if debris keep on blocking the

channel.• Hugo mentioned that Wemindji trappers had such an air travel service and

wonders why Eastmain people do not have such a service. It should beimplemented.

11


• A major goose area was identified around islands in the north central part of thetrapline. As it is not accessible springtime by snowmobile, it is not presently usedbut it has a high potential if only an Helicopter Subsidy Program could be set up tofacilitate goose hunting in the reservoir area.

• The only place where the tallyman and his family could trap healthy beaver is onthe eastern part of the trapline across from the reservoir, an area that is not readilyaccessible for security reason as well as for economical reason, the family notbeing equipped with the appropriate boats nor being eligible to an airlift program togo and trap in that area. They would want access to this safe trapping area

• Snowmobile trails (measure #3)• Snowmobile trail on the land from OA-05 Dam to goose areas in La Sarcelle area

to facilitate access and hunting along the shores.• Snowmobile trail from the access road to the reservoir shores just south of La

Sarcelle area. (The family recently received funds to do the trail).• Snowmobile trail on the land from OA-05 Dam to southern hunting and trapping

areas• Goose hunting areas and goose ponds (measure #4)

• In the La Sarcelle Control Structure, there would be more geese area and the areawould be a better goose hunting area if it was cleaned up as it is already easilyaccessible. It is hard for the geese to feed because of all the debris thataccumulate below the Structure.

• The La Sarcelle goose hunting area could be extended south along the shorebecause geese are also found there. Shores needs to be cleaned and madeaccessible.

• A major goose area was identified around islands in the north central part of thetrapline. A potential goose pond area was identified

• Goose hunting camp (measure #5)• A goose hunting camp site was identified in the north eastern part of the reservoir.

• Study to find sturgeon in the Opinaca Reservoir• Sturgeon may be present in its deepest part. The tallyman and his family want to

be informed of the result of the present studies.• Individual Compensation

• Hugo thinks individuals should be compensated, not all the community.• The community votes for programs that are not much of a help for the most

impacted families. For example: the beaver farm project on the flooded traplineswas rejected by other trappers.

• Electricity in their camps• A demand that the family considers a “really small demand” compared to all the

money Hydro gets out of their land and to the damage caused.• Education of non-Cree fishermen

• Not to pollute the water, they should be told not to throw heads and inside of fishin the water but to leave it on the ground for some animals to eat it.

4



• Disturbance /Avoided area• The first year of construction, the tallyman’s late father did spend

time in the area but because the construction was causing toomuch disturbance, he did not returned in the construction areabefore it was over, loosing the use of his land for that period oftime.

• Presence of Hydro/SEBJ Workers• A canoe disappeared from camp #6 (close to OA-11 Dam) in

1979; may be associated with the presence of the workers

• Airstrip• The tallyman has no comment on the airstrip that was built on his

trapline. It was used mostly during the construction period andhim and his father were not present in that area during that time.

ConstructionPeriod

(1978-1982)

• Permanent loss of most of the land base, loss of the landscape

• Loss of prime beaver trapping areas• Almost all the trapping areas around camps #2 and #5, and the

northern part of the trapping areas around #3 and #4 have beenflooded

• Loss of small and big game hunting areas• Loss of fishing sites and spawning grounds• Loss of travelling routes and canoe landing and plane landing

areas• Flooding of camp sites• Camps #2, #3, #4 and #6, along with many winter camps along

the trapping routes

• Loss of drinking water source• Flooding of gathering places• The spring gathering place on the shore of Petit lac Opinaca

• Flooding of one burial and two birth sites• Running into expenses• They took the equipment out of the camps to be flooded at their

own expenses


5



• Family Livelihood jeopardized• No trapping on the trapline for two years from 1980 to 1982; they

went trapping as guest on other traplines including reduction ofthe incomes due to a smaller share of trapping

• Decrease of the trapping potential for years to come• Reduction of incomes coming from fur bearing animals• Became workers : The tallyman and his sons worked to pay for

their own plane fare and expenses, not asking for subsidies, andbecause already at the time the trapping revenue were notsufficient to cover the expenses, they became seasonal workers.The family’s needs were in deed increasing and they could notsee how they could make a living out of the fur bearing animalsand fully support their family, even with the support of the ISP.

• Aggrieved feelings• Ellen and her husband were concerned about how to raise the

children and survive on the resources from the land.

• Decrease of available food resources for the following years• Decrease in moose and bear population in the years following the

flooding• Decrease in the muskrat population

• Decrease in fishing activities and fish consumption due tomercury• The fish consumption decreased dramatically today compared to

the 80’s, when the fishing activity was still an important survivalactivity.

• Fishing activities now became secondary for the family, becauseof the mercury problems; They are careful about how many fishthey eat and do not net fish anymore in the reservoir to providethemselves with fish. It happens only occasionally that they eatfish from the reservoir, sometimes one or two fish, said thetallyman.

• Today, the family has one net fishing spot outside the reservoir,downstream of the OA-1 Dam on the Eastmain River where theycatch whitefish, walleye and pike, spring and fall time. Overall,they catch less fish than before the project. The tallyman alsofishes on the James Bay coast.

• Decrease in game and fish quality


Reservoir

6



• According to Ellen Mayappo, there has been a change in thetaste and texture of fish and meat all over the trapline that may bein part due to the existence of the reservoir. Fish is less firm,beavers and moose have less fat. The quality of the water in thereservoir affected by the flooded vegetation would be a cause ofthis change.

• The tallyman confirms that because the water is not clean andbecause the fish feeds on a different flooded vegetation ground,still today, the taste of the fish is not the same anymore. Fish fromthe reservoir are frozen and used wintertime as bate for the traps.

• Gain of new waterfowl species on the trapline• New coastal species on the trapline : geese and waterfowl are

now present because of the existence of a new large body ofwater.

• New waterfowl hunting areas are not accessible in the spring asthey are located in the middle of the reservoir.

• Restricted plane landing conditions• In the 80’s, the planes did not want to sea land on the reservoir

after freeze-up because of bad ice conditions to unequal icethickness and to cracking ice caused by water drawdown.

• Relocation of camp due to modified environment• The family chose a new camp location away from the reservoir,

on a lake where planes could land. (camp #9).

• Worsen navigation conditions• The floating moss islands and drifting tree logs as well as dead

standing trees in the water makes it almost impossible to navigatesafely on the reservoir and to access the shores that are full of allthose debris. As the family felt their16 feet paddling canvas canoewas not suited to go such a large body of water and did not eitherowned a larger motor boat equipped with a sonar to navigateacross the reservoir, access to camp #9 and to the eastern part ofthe trapline was jeopardized. Consequently, the eastern part ofthe trapline is accessible only if you have the proper equipment.

• Avoidance of the impacted area• No exploration of the flooded parts of the trapline until very

recently because of the unsafe navigation conditions and theunsafe ice conditions.

7



• Navigation obstacles• The many navigation obstacles found in the reduced flow section

of the Eastmain River are a problem for the trapline users whenthey hunt moose and trap beaver in the creeks along the shoresduring the fall or when they go net fishing spring and fall time.One has to be familiar with the river not to break their canoemotor as it did happen before to the tallyman.

• Loss of a trapping route• Below weir #5, the river is dried out and no navigation is possible.

That is a loss of a beaver trapping route for the tallyman.


• No access to the Route de la Baie James / Access to trapline forothers since 1973 but not for the tallyman and family

• Access to trapline limited through the Eastmain snowmobiletrails 1980

• Access to trapline limited through the Eastmain Winter Road(1983)

• Access and use of Route de la Baie James and the La Sarcelleaccess Road since the opening of the Eastmain CommunityRoad in 1995• Allow to go often on the trapline even for short periods of time.• After opening of permanent road from the community, choice of

the location of the main camp #7, built around 1996, close by theaccess road and accessible all year round.

• New harvesting areas for the tallyman along the roads• Hunting along the road by the family (moose hunting; more bears

hunted; more porcupines hunted)

• Increased presence of other users• Since the opening of the Route de la Baie James, increase use of

the land by other Crees and non-Crees hunters and fishers: Theycome by the access roads, some of them bringing their canoe forfishing and moose hunting. They fish everywhere, in the riversand the creeks at the road crossing, in the lakes at a walkingdistance, also in the reservoir.

• Corridor Hunting• Moose hunting along the La Sarcelle Access Road and along the

Eastmain River by other Crees and non-Crees

• Increased pressure on resources


AndLa Sarcelle

Access Roads

8



• The increased presence of other users, Crees and non-Crees,creates pressure on the wildlife resources and now createscompetition in between users for access to the food resources.

• Modified hunting activities due to increased presence of non-Cree hunters• Because there is so many non-Cree sport hunters already coming

around, the tallyman postpones his own moose hunting until afterthey have left, as he fells it is too dangerous to hunt while theyare around. They shoot a lot, they also practice target shooting,disturbing the animals, threatening the security of people. Notenough wild life agent come around to see that, stated thetallyman, adding that some poaching also occurs on the trapline

• Because of the reduced land base, it becomes even moreimportant to not over kill and the preserve the species and thedifferent resources, thus, as he fells it is part of this tallyman’sresponsibilities, the activities are limited even more that otherusers are also active on the land.

• Lack of consideration for the tallyman’s rights, loss of control• There is a loss of control in managing the trapline and resources

because some other Crees and non-Cree hunters lack respect forthe tallyman. “Outside interests ignore traplines rights” (RoderickMayappo).

• Loss of security, confidence and tranquility• No valued material left in camp because of risk of breaking-in,

and actual steeling of equipment as it already happened in thepast.

• Lack of consultation• The family was not consulted about the project

• No information on the date of impoundment• They have not been informed about the impoundment in a proper

way:• They were just told to removed their equipment from the future

flooded area


9



• Concerns about the quality of resources• Concerns about the use of chemicals to slow down vegetation

growth; unused berry picking area (it was said in the community,in the 80’s, not to eat blueberries under the lines)

• Gain of new access trails• Non-Crees use the trails under the transmission lines with 4-

wheelers to go hunting

Transmissionlines



Multi-purpose areas(access, navigation)

• Dead trees along the shore; Navigation obstacles.According to the tallyman, this is due to the water levelthat went higher than what was initially planed.

C l e a n i n g f o rreconstitution of riparianhabitat

• Not aware of it

Navigation channel • Not aware of it.

Three plane landing sites• Not aware of them.• Were probably not consulted because they are not well

chosen except for one.

Clearing for spawningground

• Not aware of it.

10


Two boat ramps

• The tallyman has not much use of those boat rampsbecause he does not navigate much on the reservoir.The family’s canoe (16’, 18’ and 22’ canoes) aresuitable for lakes, not for a larger water body such asthe reservoir. If he had the appropriate equipment (boatand sonar), he would now start exploring the reservoir.

Weir #5

• Below weir #5, the river is dried out and no navigation ispossible.

• Weir #5 is in good condition. The tallyman noted thatthis weir was built with a different structure and adifferent material than Weir #3. This latter has valvesthat are to be opened and bolts that are to be greasedregularly.

• Concerns about a misunderstanding and question toHydro-Québec: Twice it was said by Hydro-Québecrepresentatives that the weirs where the tallyman’sresponsibility and it was also implied that the tallymanwere not taking good care of them. If the weirs are thetallyman’s responsibility, they should be given a trainingand the necessary material to do such a maintenance. Ifnot, Hydro-Québec representatives should stop blamingthe tallyman and do the proper maintenancethemselves.

General CommentCree Expertise neglected

• The tallyman notes that most remedial measures weredone without consulting the tallyman and thus that hecannot benefit from those measures because most ofthem are not appropriate



Trapping out program(1979)

• 201 beavers were trapped• The tallyman said that it represents a loss of revenues

and food for the trappers for the years following theprogram.

SOTRAC subsidies • Material paid for the construction of camp #9

Weir #5 on EastmainRiver

• Concerns about a misunderstanding and question toHydro-Québec : Twice it was said by Hydro-Québecrepresentatives, that the weirs where the tallyman’sresponsibility and it was also implied that the tallymanwere not taking good care of them. If the weirs are thetallyman’s responsibility, they should be given a trainingand the necessary material to do such a maintenance. Ifnot, Hydro-Québec representatives should stop blamingthe tallyman and do the proper maintenancethemselves.

11

tallyman’s responsibility, they should be given a trainingand the necessary material to do such a maintenance. Ifnot, Hydro-Québec representatives should stop blamingthe tallyman and do the proper maintenancethemselves.


• Goose Ponds : A good goose area was identified in the reservoir located in thecenter of the trapline. The tallyman suggest that this area be organized as a goosepond.

• Goose Ponds in Dump site and Borrow pits : One dump site and five borrow pitsare found on the western part of the trapline. The latter are used by non-nativehunters as camp sites. The tallyman suggests that they be fixed up as gooseponds.

• Helicopter Subsidy Program for Goose Hunting on the Reservoir : The tallymanalso suggests that an Helicopter Subsidy Program be set up to facilitate goosehunting in the reservoir area.

• Goose Pond : As suggested by Ernie Moses : to develop a goose hunting area inthe reduced flow part of Eastmain River with a 4-wheelers access road under the6-7 transmission lines, and a trail that only 4-wheelers could use on the northshore of river all along from Weir #5 to OA-11 Dam (on VC35 trapline). Thetallyman approves this request and fells it is going to be also for his benefit for hisfuture use for years to come.

• Access Road and Goose Pond around Weir #5 : As suggested by Ernie Moses :the tallyman agrees that HQ opens the access road to Weir #5 for truck access (2km missing) and to develop a goose pond area. (on VC35 trapline)

• Check point on La Sarcelle and OA-11 Dam Access Roads : The tallymanrequested a check-point on the access road going to La Sarcelle Control Structureand OA-11 Dam to control the expected increased traffic of Cree and non-Creemoose hunters due to the Weh Sees Indohoun Protected Zone south of histrapline

• Road Signs on La Sarcelle and OA-11 Dam Access Roads : The tallymanwould want 2 road signs to be posted 2 km up and down from his cabinmentioning, in french, the presence of a camp in order to prevent the hunters fromshooting in the camp area. These type of signs are already used in other campareas along the Route de la Baie James. They would be very useful to preventaccident during the moose hunting season.

• Surveyers Lines : The tallyman suggests that these surveyors lines be clearedfor the hunters to keep on using them as hunting grounds.

12

Other comments

• Comments about the beaver relocation program on the trapline before theOpinaca Reservoir Impoundment. Which solution between relocation and trappingout seems to be the best ?

• To validate the information about the disappearance of lynx linked to theimpoundment of prime areas.

• Was the navigation on Little Opinaca river (for trapping route #16) affected andhow?

• What did the tallyman wanted to say about the gates and the buildings built byHydro?

Documents

Impacts According to Interviewees CH11 - Hydro-Québec · 2013-11-28 · FG11) 5 Impacts According to Interviewees CH11 Identification / Comments on impacts Source of impacts •