FORT WILLIAM FIRST NATION — A major infrastructure project could disturb an Anishinaabe burial site at Kakabeka Falls.
That's a cause for concern for Michele Solomon, Chief of Fort William First Nation. She said Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has not completed any archaeological fieldwork at the Kakabeka Falls Generating Station site.
According to a media release from the First Nation, there is a registered burial site on the property, and they believe there is the potential for more deeply buried artifacts.
Solomon told Dougall Media that the $200 million “refurbishment” of the generating station is a misnomer because “it’s really a completely new project.”
“They are leaving a building standing as a heritage site,” Solomon said.
“By that action, that allows for them to go around certain responsibilities they would have if they didn't leave this building standing. If they didn't leave part of this site standing, it creates a bit of a loophole for them, specifically a loophole to complete a class environmental assessment,” she continued.
The 118-year-old hydroelectric plant recently announced construction will start in spring 2025; however, some site preparation has already started.
Solomon said Fort William First Nation is not opposed to the redevelopment project, but they are opposed to OPG’s lack of community engagement and consultation, particularly, OPG bypassing the environmental assessment.
In an OPG media release in April, the hydro company stated that “the project is expected to generate economic benefits for local Indigenous communities” and “OPG has been working closely with the Fort William First Nation to ensure the community’s consultation and input are considered from the onset, starting with the preliminary planning stages of the project.”
However, Solomon said their statement came as a surprise.
“I felt it was a little misleading in that Fort William First Nation has not supported this project,” Solomon said.
“We've been very clear with OPG on our position. We've met with them and we have not been able to come to any agreement on moving forward,” she added.
The site of the generating station has deep historical, cultural, and spiritual significance to Fort William First Nation. It was a historic travel route and cultural site for the community.
However, the development of the plant 120 years ago resulted in flooding, changes to waterways, and irreparable damage to the cultural heritage and Fort William First Nation’s way of life.
The community is raising further concerns about environmental impacts on fisheries, species at risk, and site contamination.
“The First Nation has been trying to work with them to have a mutually beneficial partnership and that has fallen on deaf ears,” Solomon said.
“It's misleadingly being identified as a revamp or an update to the project. It doesn't require them to the same standards for partnership development as it would if they were starting from scratch. In my mind, it really is going around and going through a loophole that wouldn't otherwise exist,” she continued.
Solomon said she would like to the see “the relevant ministries of Ontario” stop the redevelopment of the generating station and OPG to “come to the table” with a meaningful consultation.
"We don’t want a repeat of what happened with Parks Canada in Nipigon where a flawed process led to the unearthing of 600-year-old Indigenous ancestral remains,” said Solomon in the release.
In response to a request for comment an OPG spokesperson wrote, “OPG is engaged in ongoing discussion with Fort William First Nation. We continue to engage respectfully as we prepare to redevelop the Kakabeka Falls Generating Station.”
