GOVERNMENT VISION OF TRANS-LABRADOR HIGHWAY A NIGHTMARE - ASHINI
(Sheshatshiu) The provincial government's vision of the Trans-Labrador
Highway is a re-occurring nightmare for the Innu people. Daniel Ashini, the
Director of Innu Rights and Environment stated that "The Newfoundland
government has always been interested in gaining access to Innu land. But
without a land rights agreement with the Innu, the Trans-Labrador Highway
will always be a non-starter."
Earlier this week, Ernie McLean, the Minister of Government Services and
Julie Bettney, the Minister of Works Services and Transportation announced
that the province was actively pursuing the development of an all-weather
Trans-Labrador Highway, including an upgrade of the existing Churchill
Falls tote road and the construction of a new link from Goose Bay to the
South Coast.
"This isn't the first time that a Trans-Labrador road has been proposed.
And it comes as no surprise to the Innu that government has not even
bothered to consult with us on their latest proposal. They certainly
haven't given Innu rights any consideration in the past. Smallwood
personally authorized a survey for the highway routing in the 60's. No one
thought to even inform the Innu at that time. And when the present road was
bulldozed across our land, government did so without our permission.",
continued Ashini.
"The present road has had a tremendous impact on the Innu people. It opened
up large areas of our land. Small spur roads appeared. Cabins were put up.
Our hunting grounds became easily accessible. But thankfully, the present
road is still rough, and it only goes as far as Goose Bay. Enough is
enough! We will not stand by and watch the invasion of our land continue
while we attempt to negotiate a land rights agreement in good faith. But
where is the good faith on the part of government?"
In 1993, the Innu Nation released a critique of the feasibility study of
the Trans-Labrador Highway prepared by Fiander Good Associates for the
provincial government. The Innu Nation critique, prepared by Dr. Townley of
Acadia and Dr. Locke of Memorial, concluded that the Fiander-Good study was
fatally flawed, and that the cost of the project, then estimated at over $2
billion dollars, would far exceed any expected economic returns from the
project. To date, the province has failed to provide a substantiative
response to the Townley-Locke critique.
"Governments and the Innu have fundamentally different visions of this
land. Where we see the primeval forests that have sustained our culture for
thousands of years, they see wasted timber. Where there are rivers flowing
freely, they see money flowing into the sea. And if they can't drive to
Montreal or Toronto, they think their rights are being violated. But they
think nothing of violating our rights, of stealing our land, and planning
the destruction of our way of life. Their vision is a nightmare for us, and
it is time for them to wake up," concluded Ashini.
- 30 -
Larry Innes Visit the Innu Nation WWW site:
Environmental Advisor http://www.web.net/~innu
Innu Nation
P.O. Box 119, Sheshatshiu, Labrador, Canada A0P 1M0
phone: (709) 497-8398 email: innuenv@web.net fax: (709) 497-8396