Unfortunately, for many years, little attention was paid to how water-related initiatives in Manitoba affected villages of Northern Indigenous people. Indigenous and First Nations peoples have only lately begun to be consulted by Manitoba Hydro and the Province of Manitoba, but much of the harm done to the land is irreparable according to Indigenous people of Lake Winnipeg (LWIC).

The organization was able to come together for its convention in 2023 for the first time since the pandemic began. The group works to maintain and sustain Lake Winnipeg by emphasizing the need for healthy waterways, the restoration of traditional livelihoods, and the consideration of Indigenous viewpoints. 

Journalist Zuher Almusre from U multicultural channel spoke with Daniel Gladu Kanu, Director of LWIC, and asked him about the purpose of the event. Gladu Kanu side, “So far, we’ve been pushing for Federal and Provincial Governments to have meetings with First Nations rights holders,” says Daniel Gladu Kanu, Director of LWIC. “When we hear about a project around Lake Winnipeg, it’s important that the people who live there, people with generations of history, are part of those developments.” 

Chris Clarke, President of Norway House Fisher Co-op and a speaker at the gathering, also adds. "It's important for our people and all people involved in the Indigenous Collective to start that dialogue.

He goes on to speak about energy projects in Manitoba, to say that awareness has to go out to the public and the people buying the energy, whether in Canada or North America, that it’s not all ‘green energy’ as it’s portrayed to be and to bring awareness to how it’s altering and somewhat decimating people’s well-being, especially our Cree people.

Stay tuned for more Civic discussions on Civic Platform: https://u-channel.ca/civic-journalism/  

Contact Zuher Almusre, our civic journalist, to share your story and explore civic issues at zuheralmusre@u-channel.ca.   

The project is funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage and administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).