| Nopiming Provincial Park Developed Without Plan | 5 March 10 |
 Cottage owners joined with Sagkeeng First Nation, the Manitoba Liberal Party and Manitoba Wildlands to speak out about a power line project in Nopiming Provincial Park. The 19-kilometre hydro line project, which received provincial approval November 2009 following a non public environmental assessment, is set to start in the spring and be completed by September 30. There is only a 25 year old plan for the park, with no update since the new Parks Act.Less than half of the 156 cottages in Long Lake and Beresford Lake will be hooked up to electricity service. Alternatives to the project, such as solar power, were not investigated. Only 72 cottagers have paid the $10,000 fee. Cottage owner Brian Gudmundson states Manitoba Hydro is trying to put in the power line without proper consultation or majority support. "A complete pause [of the project] is what is required and anything less than that would be to put a rubber stamp on this flawed process – and that is wrong for all Manitobans," states Gudmundson. The Sagkeeng First Nation also opposes the project and has criticized the province for failure to appropriately notify and accommodate Sagkeeng concerns. These include being blocked from any economic benefit from a project in their traditional territory. A common theme among concerns is that the project will lead to further development in the park. View February 26, 2010 CBC articleView January 30, 2009 Manitoba Wildlands article Source: CBC |
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