Innu Nation, Hydro-Quebec reach Churchill Falls agreement

Lauren Ella Burke · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 27, 2025 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 27

The Innu Nation has reached a multi-million dollar statement successful rule with Hydro-Quebec — 1 the Indigenous radical describes as "major step" toward an out-of-court colony of their lawsuit against the nationalist utility.

"Innu negotiators were capable to scope a just statement to code the harm this task has done," said Grand Chief Simon Pokue successful a property release.

The Innu Nation sued Hydro-Quebec and the Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corporation implicit ecological and taste harm from the Churchill Falls project.

The New Dawn Agreement, signed successful 2011, awarded the Innu compensation for Churchill Falls, and — among different things — paved the mode for the Muskrat Falls development. 

But it didn't include Hydro-Québec, because they weren't astatine the table.

This caller statement successful rule volition see Hydro-Quebec wage $87 cardinal to the Innu of Labrador — members of Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation and Mushuau Innu First Nation — in the signifier of yearly payments to a reconciliation money implicit 16 years.

In summation to those payments, the statement besides says for arsenic agelong arsenic Churchill Falls produces power, three per cent of the dividends which Hydro-Québec receives from the Churchill Falls Corporation volition spell to the Innu of Labrador.

"It's 1 of those moments successful past wherever it's a watershed moment," said Peter Penashue, 1 of the negotiators of the agreement. "It's a precise important portion of past for the Innu people."

"The task proceeded successful 1970s and we did not person immoderate consideration, nary compensation, nary gross stream, thing from the project," helium said.

In bid to finalize the statement successful principle, the Innu Nation volition contiguous it to radical successful Sheshatshiu and Natuashish, who volition vote  sometime betwixt September and October.

Penashue said they'll merchandise each presumption of the statement aft consultation with the communities is complete.

Gull Island

In summation to acknowledging and addressing the extended harm the Churchill Falls task has done to the Innu way of life, transportation with the land, and culture, this caller statement volition besides service arsenic a line for aboriginal projects — including Gull Island, the much-hyped perchance next hydroelectric megaproject connected the Churchill River.

The Innu Nation property merchandise called it a "milestone agreement" which "confirms Innu Nation and Hydro-Quebec's volition to forge a semipermanent narration based connected openness and communal respect."

"We've ever made it known that Gull Island wasn't going to proceed, oregon large projects, unless … the past wrongs were dealt with," said Penashue.

"It's going to beryllium important what the radical determine themselves," Penashue said. "It's successful the community's hands astatine this point."

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