Grievances
The First Nation has recently settled two grievances against Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation. The grievance against Hydro One was started because the company arbitrarily cut down trees, and misappropriated land without making any effort to consult the First Nation to install huge steel electricity pylons across the reserve. Hydro One acknowledged liability (without an apology) by settling the claim for an undisclosed amount.
The grievance against Ontario Power Generation was a far bigger issue. Many years ago, again without notice or an effort to consult with the First Nation, what used to be called Ontario Hydro arbitrarily flooded over one thousand acres (4 km²) of reserve land and many more thousands of acres of traditional resource area by building the Whitedog Dam to provide electricity for sale by Ontario Hydro.
The detrimental effects of the flooding and water flow change resulted in a huge loss of culture for the area's First Nation people, including but not limited to the loss of cultural activities such as hunting, and rice harvesting.
Ontario Power Generation acknowledged liability by settling for an undisclosed amount. Also, unlike Hydro One, Ontario Power Generation officially apologized for the harm to the community during a visit to the community by Jake Epp, Chairman of the Board.
Legal grievances remain as a result of Canada's Federal Government giving Ontario Power Generation permission to reroute the Winnipeg River through the reserve via the relief channel blasted through the reserve.
A rock sacred to the people of Ochiichagwe'Babigo'Ining was also completely destroyed by explosives to clear way for the water channel.
Read more about this topic: Ochiichagwe'Babigo'Ining Ojibway Nation
Famous quotes containing the word grievances:
“These are our grievances which we have thus laid before his majesty with that freedom of language and sentiment which becomes a free people, claiming their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
“It is time that we start thinking about foundational issues: about our attitudes toward fair trials... Who are the People in a multicultural society?... The victims of discrimination are now organized. Blacks, Jews, gays, women—they will no longer tolerate second-class status. They seek vindication for past grievances in the trials that take place today, the new political trial.”
—George P. Fletcher, U.S. law educator. With Justice for Some, p. 6, Addison-Wesley (1995)
“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. And also the only real tragedy in life is being used by personally minded men for purposes which you recognize to be base.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)