| Quebec’s
Enjoy them while you can. According to a just-released report by Earthwild, a B.C.-based environmental group, Quebec is home to three of Canada’s 10 most endangered rivers: the Rupert, which empties into James Bay, the Kipawa, which empties in Lake Temiscaming, and the St. Lawrence. The first two share the top position, as they have been slated for development after the PQ government gave Hydro-Québec the okay to expand the province’s hydroelectric infrastructure. “This is basically a wake-up call to the people of Quebec, of Canada, and of the world,” says David Boyd, the volunteer chair of the endangered rivers campaign and an environmental lawyer. “There seems to be a renaissance of interest in hydroelectricity production on the Rupert and Kipawa rivers, even though there was a huge uproar across Canada and the U.S. about the Great Whale project. We thought the era of giant dams was over, but Quebec seems to be back on the hydroelectric bandwagon.” Boyd notes that 22 other rivers in Quebec are also at risk because of hydro plans. The other rivers deemed endangered by Earthwild are the Okanagan, Fraser, Peel, Detroit, Berens, Albany, Petitcodiac, Main and Cornwallis. Still, Boyd is hopeful that the rivers are not doomed. “We’ve had provincial endangered rivers and endangered rivers in the U.S.,” he says. “Some have been removed in the years after the lists were published. We hope that our list will have the same effect in the years to come.” : -Patrick Lejtenyi |