Frequently Asked Questions
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WHAT IS THE COLUMBIA RIVER TREATY?
The Columbia River Treaty (CRT) between the US and Canada, ratified in 1964, optimizes flood management and power generation, mainly in the US, by coordinating operations of Canadian reservoirs and river flow for the Columbia and Kootenay Rivers. Under the agreement Canada agreed to the construction of three dams (Duncan, Keenleyside and Mica) in British Columbia (B.C) and allowed the U.S. to build a fourth dam (Libby Dam) that flooded into Canada, in exchange for prepayment for 60 years of flood control and half the incremental electricity that now could be produced in the U.S. (called the Canadian Entitlement). The Treaty has no end date, although some flood-risk management provisions expire in 2024. If either country wishes to terminate the Treaty, that can happen any time with at least 10 years’ notice required. Beginning in 2011, the BC government and U.S. federal agencies conducted separate reviews to consider whether to continue, amend or terminate the Treaty. Following a BC government decision to modernize, a team that includes Canada’s federal government (responsible for international treaties) and the BC government began formal negotiations with the US in 2018. WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER TREATY?
WHAT IS THE REASON FOR A COLUMBIA RIVER TREATY TOUR PROJECT?
During the B.C. government’s formal CRT consultation with local communities, between 2012-2019, residents and Indigenous people asked that the impacts and losses resulting from the Treaty be acknowledged. In April 2019, the Columbia Basin Regional Advisory Committee brainstormed ways to address this acknowledgement. The CRT Uncovery Tour is one result. Learn More WILL THE PROJECT INCLUDE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE IMPACT OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER TREATY ON INDIGENOUS NATIONS, INCLUDING THE SINIXT PEOPLES?
Yes. The CRT Uncovery Tour supports reconciliation by acknowledging specific impacts to Indigenous communities, landscape, cultural artifacts and sites. The Tour also supports Indigenous people sharing broader information of their history, culture and language. The CRT Project Steering Committee includes representatives from the four upper Columbia Basin Indigenous Nations: Ktunaxa Nation, Secwepemc Nation, the Sn̓ ʕaýckstx (Sinixt)/Arrow Lakes Tribe and Syilx Okanagan Nation. Learn about the Steering Committee IS THIS A COLUMBIA BASIN TRUST PROJECT?
No. However the CRT Uncovery Tour project is supported financially by a broad range of agencies, including the Columbia Basin Trust. Learn about the Funders HOW CAN COMMUNITIES JOIN THE CRT UNCOVERY TOUR PROJECT?
The CRT Uncovery Tour Project Support Team and the Steering Committee are inviting communities to submit their project ideas. View Eligibility WILL THE CRT UNCOVERY TOUR PROJECT INCLUDE A REVIEW OF COMPENSATION FOR LOSSES?
The CRT Uncovery Tour Project is not a forum for redress. As a community-based project, it aims to share Indigenous and other Basin resident stories of the Columbia River Treaty and its impacts. CAN COMMUNITIES SUGGEST THEIR OWN HERITAGE ELEMENTS TO BE PART OF THE TOUR?
Yes, communities can suggest their own heritage elements to be part of the tour. The CRT Uncovery Tour will include a wide a range of stories and commemorative elements in order to convey the full scope of the impacts of the CRT. Existing signage and commemorative elements related to the Treaty - museums, archives, heritage buildings, storyboards, and locations of interest - will contribute to the regional story of the CRT, where applicable and accessible. Current Project Sites WHAT IS HERITAGE VALUE?
Heritage value reflects the significance of a place to a community of people. Traditionally, historic places have been valued mainly for associations with colonial history, including architectural importance. Today, historic places are valued for a broader range of meanings including Indigenous cultural associations, social value, spiritual value and environmental/science value. A single place may have more than one heritage value, valued for different reasons by different people. Heritage values may change over time. A place might be valued because it is the oldest of its kind, the only of its kind, or a rare surviving example. It might be valued as an excellent example of a type, or the work of a certain individual. It might reflect a certain activity or phase in the history of a community, or a role in the current social or spiritual life of a community. The Canadian Register of Historic Places (CRHP) defines heritage value as: “the aesthetic, historic, scientific, cultural, social or spiritual importance or significance for past, present or future generations.” The CRHP definition refers to the Burra Charter, an international statement of principles for the conservation and management of heritage. The CRHP definition intends to assist communities in forming heritage values. THE CRT UNCOVERY TOUR WILL FOCUS ON THE IMPACTS AND LOSSES TO PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES. WILL POSITIVE IMPACTS ALSO BE INCLUDED?
CRT reservoirs inundated 110,000 hectares (270,000 acres) of valley-bottom land and ecosystems, displaced more than 2,300 residents and upended transportation routes. Acknowledging the losses is the primary purpose of the CRT Uncovery Tour Project. History includes dark moments as well as moments of triumph, and communities will decide which stories they want to share as part of this project. One impetus for the Treaty was the 1948 Columbia River flood that caused extensive damage to Trail, BC, as well as other communities along the river, and devastated the City of Vanport in Oregon. The Treaty dams have been successful in preventing further flooding disasters. The story of the 1948 flood and the positive impact of the Treaty dams could be part of the heritage tour. The Treaty also addressed a then-increasing power demand in the Pacific Northwest. Today nearly half of British Columbia’s generating capacity comes from the upper Columbia Basin. Acknowledging this positive impact could be a choice made by communities. WHAT DOES THE UNCOVERY TOUR LOGO REPRESENT?
The Columbia River Treaty Uncovery Tour logo emerged from broad engagement with representatives from across the Canadian portion of the Columbia Basin. Their replies to key questions clarified the heritage project’s overall tone, feeling, values and imagery. Design directions included: over/under; duality/contrast; endurance/hope; sense of interruption; water/river break and flow; and, a feeling that salmon could speak for us all. Colour direction included: earth; water; pictographs (red); wildlife; and, organic. The logo depicts the abruptly interrupted flow of water; impacts upstream and downstream, as well as above and below the surface. The logo’s two relatively muted, contrasting colours reinforces the feeling of gravity and contrast. The Steering Committee brainstormed and short listed a name for the project, ultimately deciding on the Columbia River Treaty Uncovery Tour. The word “tour” implies a circular trip to visit various places of interest. “Uncovery” refers to bringing something to light, or, disclosing a hidden story. “Columbia River Treaty” references the international agreement at the heart of the stories that will be acknowledged and commemorated. |
Photo: Two Grizzly Bears feeding at Meadow Creak Spawning Channel. Photo courtesy of Angus Glass
Photo: Today's exposed tree stumps are ghosts of the forest habitat in the flooded valleys.
Photo: Kokanee are a keystone species in the Kootenay region. Photo Courtesy of Angus Glass.
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