LETTER

Liability concerns should not trump Deschênes heritage

 

In 1994, GTM Hydrovolt planned a hydro-electric dam at Deschênes rapids. The $10 million dollar, 4.5 megawatt generating station included a 200-metre retention wall to Conroy Island. It had already been approved by Quebec's Natural Resource Ministry. Aylmer had agreed in principal the previous year. The Natural Resource Ministry owned the site and intended to lease it to Hydro Quebec for 20 years. The rapids would disappear forever. Communities rose up. The Friends of the Deschênes Rapids, led by Monique Clairoux and Claude Bertrand, galvanized public opposition on both sides of the Ottawa River.

The project was squashed after legendary paddlers Paul Mason, Mark Scriver and Phil Green shot the rapids in December 1994, for the first time since the voyageurs. Their performance was recorded by a fly-over by the Canadian Coast Guard.  This proved that the rapids were navigable and the hydro project could not proceed without prohibitive costs and delays to accommodate future boat traffic.

Fast forward 23 years. Transport Quebec now owns the site. The Navigable Waterways Act has been trashed. Kayakers regularly frequent the site. The shoreline and historic ruins continue to feel the effects of erosion. But unwary members of the public continue to drown.

As with many undesirable projects, proponents are appealing to a higher motive to reduce public opposition – “reduce the number of drownings”. The Transport Ministry fears being sued by the relatives of casualties. Their multi-million dollar solution could involve blowing up the ruins. But should we build a staircase to Everest or erect railing around the Grand Canyon when people engage in unnecessary risk?

The cultural and natural heritage of the Deschênes rapids should be preserved and the public must take responsibility for their own safety. I believe shore-line stabilization, safety infrastructure such as railings and signage should provide enough “due diligence” to offset the fear of civil suites. This has been the protocol for operating dam sites throughout the Ottawa River watershed.  

Meanwhile, citizens must continue opposing threats to both their past and future.  

Ian Huggett
(former resident of Aylmer)
Uxbridge, Ontario