Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Innu Nation Oppose Energy Pact

The town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay and various Innu nations are demanding binding agreements and formal consent before supporting a tentative energy pact between the governments of Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec. The proposed deal involves several projects around the Churchill River, including an onshore wind farm and a power plant at Gull Island, supported by $10 billion in financing from the Treasury Board of Canada for transmission lines and development.

Bert Pomeroy, Mayor of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, warned that the town lacks the water, sewage, road, and emergency service capacity to absorb the expected influx of thousands of workers. He cited the social trauma of the 2013 Muskrat Falls project, which led to increased domestic violence and drug use, as a reason for requiring infrastructure funding and social-impact mitigation.

Simultaneously, the Innu Nation Secretariat and the Innu nations of Matimekush-Lac John and Uashat mak Mani-utenam stated they were not consulted and that no agreement can proceed without their informed consent. Grand Chief Jodie Ashini noted that the Innu Nation in Labrador was excluded from negotiations due to an ongoing election, though she expressed hope for a fair and equal deal for her people.