Background
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The impacts related to the Columbia River Treaty are primarily felt in the Columbia Basin. Over 2,300 people were displaced and more than a dozen small communities, their infrastructure, public spaces and way of life were lost. Residents lost access to rivers and wilderness areas filled with forests, wildlife and fish, and related recreation experiences.
Within the Basin, the impacts of the Treaty vary. Some communities such as Renata, no longer exist, while others such as Nakusp, Golden and Revelstoke were, and are still, directly affected. Still others experience only indirect effects, or even benefits. Notably, very little has been recorded about the impacts to Indigenous people and communities but without questions, these impacts were then and remain significant today. Many Basin residents feel that the hardships to residents and communities that were impacted by the implementation of the Treaty have not been adequately acknowledged. Many are also concerned that a significant part of the history of their region will be lost as those directly impacted move away or die. They also want Basin youth, newcomers and visitors to be provided with an opportunity to learn this history and link it to the electricity generating infrastructure visible throughout the Basin. In April 2019, the Columbia Basin Regional Advisory Committee brainstormed ideas on how Columbia River Treaty impacts on Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and ecosystems could be recognized in a visible/tangible way; could include both large and small communities; and could integrate existing community heritage assets. A touring route was one of the ideas. In August 2019, the Columbia River Treaty Heritage Project Steering Committee held its first meeting with participation from Indigenous and non-Indigenous community leaders. Under the Steering Committee’s guidance, a detailed project plan for the Columbia River Treaty Heritage Project was completed in 2020 and in 2021 and a project implementation team was engaged and remains active today. The project is the Columbia River Treaty Uncovery Tour. |
Photo above: Overlooking Kettle Falls. Photo courtesy of the the Sn̓ ʕaýckstx (Sinixt)/Arrow Lakes Tribe.
Photo: Priest Rapids, Columbia River pre-dam. Photo credit: Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Centre, 40-67-15
Columbia Basin Indigenous Nations
The Columbia River Treaty (CRT) was signed in 1964. This Treaty is an international agreement between Canada and the United States for the construction and operation of four treaty dams in the Columbia River Basin for hydropower and flood control purposes. In exchange for flood control and for an equal share of the US downstream power benefits, Canada agreed to build three dams – Duncan, Hugh L. Keenleyside and Mica and allowed the US to build a fourth dam, the Libby Dam that flooded into Canada resulting in the Koocanusa Reservoir. The Treaty provides ‘Downstream Benefits’ to British Columbia (1/2 the power generated at dams in the US as a result of Canada storing water in reservoirs). The Entities designated with the responsibility for implementing the Treaty are BC Hydro (in Canada), and Bonneville Power Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (in the United States). Indigenous Nations were not consulted in the development of the original Treaty, however the impacts to land, water, Indigenous title and rights and traditional uses are widespread and it is important that these stories of impact be told. This project continues to engage with the following Nations to support their efforts to share stories of impact of the Treaty: Ktunaxa Nation www.ktunaxa.org Stk'emlupsemc Te Secwepemc Nation stkemlups.ca Sinixt Confederacy/Colville Tribes sinixt.com Syilx Okanagan Nation Alliance syilx.org |