The Innu Council of Unamen Shipu and Hydro-Québec have signed, after the approval of the Government of Quebec, the Mishta Uashat Lac-Robertson Agreement.
This agreement aims to resolve all disputes relating to the construction, operation and maintenance of the Lac-Robertson generating station on the North Shore. The Lac-Robertson development includes a 21 MW hydroelectric power station, installed on the Ha! Ha! in Basse-Côte-Nord, and related works, including a 4.8 MW diesel-powered plant, an access road and a transport network and distribution stations to supply the villages of La Tabatière, Blanc-Sablon, Saint-Augustin and Vieux-Fort.
The Lac-Robertson power station is not connected to the main Hydro-Québec transmission network. It supplies nearby communities on the Lower North Shore, as well as those along the Labrador coast of the Strait of Belle Isle.
The minister responsible for relations with First Nations and Inuit, Ian Lafrenière, participated in the announcement, along with the Chief of Unamen Shipu, Raymond Bellefleur, and the president and chief executive officer of Hydro-Québec, Michael Sabia.
The Lac-Robertson power station has been the subject of various protests and complaints from the Unamen Shipu community. The Mishta Uashat Lac-Robertson agreement concretizes the shared intention of the community and Hydro-Québec to maintain a long-term, mutually profitable relationship based on respect, collaboration and trust.
As part of this agreement, Hydro-Québec will pay the Innus Council of Unamen Shipu $32 million, distributed in annual payments, over a period of 23 years. These payments will constitute, for the Innu of Unamen Shipu, a source of income that they will allocate to financing the priorities identified by the community.
“By signing this historic agreement with the community of Unamen Shipu, we are making significant progress towards reconciliation and the co-construction of a better future and a better relationship, as we did recently with Pessamit,” Lafrenière said. “Today, we collaborate with the Unamen Shipu community to contribute to improving the quality of life of its members.”
“The Mishta Uashat Lac-Robertson agreement is a settlement of the past towards the community of Unamen Shipu. The Council will invest the majority of the funds in its community needs,” Bellefleur said.
