Zibi: A user's guide to the Chaudière Falls plan
Debate continues over Windmill Development’s plans to develop the islands surrounding Chaudière Falls, with opponents calling for the removal of the dam
For decades, the islands in the Ottawa River surrounding Chaudière Falls have been all but invisible to area residents. Ground Zero for Ottawa’s lumber trade, Chaudière and Albert islands, and nearby shorelines, were fenced-off industrial zones throughout much of the past 100 years, and the falls, once a leading tourist attraction, were dammed and hidden from public view.
But the lands have remained front-of-mind for members of surrounding Algonquin communities, who view the area as key to their cultural heritage and the falls themselves as sacred.
With the sale of the Domtar lands to Ottawa’s Windmill Development and its plans to build Zibi, which it says will be one of the most sustainable communities in the world, debates over the future of the area have come to a head. Opponents of the $1.2-billion project say they want the land returned to parkland under Algonquin stewardship and the falls freed from the dam. Supporters say the development will be good for the environment and create key economic and cultural links with Algonquins. Some potential workers are calling it a dream come true. It will be the first place in the city where the Algonquin language is seen on street signs. Several Algonquin communities are working with Windmill and Hydro Ottawa to create jobs and cultural recognition on site.
Q What are the issues?
AThe key question, “Who do the land and the falls belong to?” is deceptively complex. Domtar sold the industrial property to Windmill Developments in a private sale, although about seven per cent of the land it proposes to develop is leased from the Crown. Windmill’s consultation and partnership with Algonquin groups is both unprecedented and beyond legal requirements for such a project, although it reflects social responsibility. Windmill owns the land and Hydro Ottawa, which operates the nearby ring dam, owns the land around that site. There is also some land owned by the federal government and the National Capital Commission.
It is also unceded Algonquin traditional land (as is the rest of Ottawa, much of Eastern Ontario and parts of Quebec), and not just any part of Algonquin traditional territory, but an area considered sacred, especially around the falls. Four Quebec Algonquin communities that oppose the Windmill development cite articles of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Native People, which say, among other things, that indigenous people have the right to “access in privacy to their religious and cultural sites,” and should be consulted when it comes to any project affecting their lands and territories. This week the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador joined the opposition.
But all Algonquin communities don’t agree. Algonquin supporters of the project, including Chief Kirby Whiteduck of Pikwakanagan First Nation in Ontario, embrace the project, saying it offers a “precedent-setting and landmark opportunity for a new model of collaboration.”
He also quotes the UN declaration “which states that indigenous people are free to pursue their economic, social and cultural development.” Algonquins of Ontario, which comprises 10 Algonquin communities, also embraces the project and is working with Windmill and Hydro Ottawa, which wants to build healing circles and an interpretive centre beside the falls.
Windmill is working with an aboriginal advisory committee, made up of Algonquins from various communities. It is also doing groundbreaking work to remove barriers that keep many Algonquin tradespeople off work sites in Quebec.
Opponents say federal, provincial and local governments should have consulted with them about the rezoning of the area. Most of the consultation has been left to Windmill, whose CEO, Jeff Westeinde, notes that the two Algonquin communities working closely with the project are also the two negotiating a treaty with Ontario and the federal government to settle a land-claim in Eastern Ontario.
Q Who was William Commanda and what does he have to do with the site?
AWilliam Commanda, also known as Grandfather Commanda, was an internationally recognized Algonquin elder, spiritual leader and promoter of environmental sustainability — Canada’s Nelson Mandela, some called him — whose vision for the lands is widely quoted by opponents of the project. Commanda, who died in 2011, wanted to see the area around the falls and Victoria Island returned to its natural state under the stewardship of the Algonquin people.
He worked with First Nations architect Douglas Cardinal and the National Capital Commission to design an aboriginal centre on Victoria Island and a place to celebrate peace and bring people together.
The NCC has long considered the islands in the Ottawa River lands of national importance and Victoria Island, in particular, a place to recognize and celebrate Algonquin and aboriginal culture. Commanda’s vision went beyond Victoria Island and included Chaudière Falls and other lands. Zibi opponents say the rezoning of the land from parks and open space to downtown mixed use to permit the Zibi development “would prevent the realization of alternative visions for the area.”
Q What would ‘freeing’ the falls mean?
AChaudière Falls was once one of Canada’s premier tourist attractions. Long before that, it was a sacred meeting site for First Nations. Since 1908, it has been dammed, first to provide power to the nearby paper mill and later to provide power to Hydro Ottawa. Today the ring dam generates enough energy to power 40,000 homes a year. Upgrades to its generating station that are now taking place will improve its efficiency to about 60,000 homes a year.
Removing the dam that has been in place for more than a century would radically change water levels through Ottawa and Gatineau. Bryce Conrad, CEO of Hydro Ottawa, said water levels could rise anywhere from 10 to 20 feet.
Against the backdrop of First Nations concerns about Chaudière Falls is an international movement to remove dams from rivers, returning them to the “wild” and allowing fish and other aquatic life to travel freely and thrive.
Meaghan Murphy, staff scientist with Ottawa Riverkeeper, said dams have a negative impact on fish species. The population of American eels, which are protected, has plummeted, in part because of dams. Other fish are also affected. The Chaudière dam, one of numerous dams along the Ottawa River, includes eel ladders to help their migration.
Q What is Hydro Ottawa doing there?
AAt the same time Zibi construction is set to get started, the Chaudière Falls generating station is being replaced and put mainly below ground, clearing the way for public access to the falls. Hydro Ottawa is working with the Algonquins of Ontario to create a space for Algonquin culture, with healing circles and an interpretive centre. Conrad said he hopes the project will be ready for the public in 2017.
“You can’t access the falls today. Ideally, you want people to be able to see them for the beauty they have.
“I think we have an opportunity and responsibility to do this in a manner that is respectful and promotes the importance of that area from a First Nations perspective. We have had a good relationship with the Algonquins of Ontario and they have been constructive partners in this,” said Conrad.
Q Who are the players?
ABesides William Commanda, some of the vocal players in the debate include: Kirby Whiteduck, whose community supports the Zibi project, is chief of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan, near Golden Lake, west of Renfrew. Whiteduck calls it a positive story of reconciliation and says opponents, many of whom are not native, should get out of its way. “Working in partnership with the private sector is the only option that can deliver true and lasting benefits to current and future generations.”
Gilbert Whiteduck, former chief of Kitigan-Zibi near Maniwaki, opposes the project and supports those who want the land in Algonquin stewardship. His brother, Jean Guy Whiteduck, is the band chief. Kitigan Zibi has not formally stated its views on the project, although five Quebec Algonquin communities oppose it.
Douglas Cardinal, Canada’s — and perhaps the world’s — preeminent First Nations architect, designed the Canadian Museum of History as well as being the primary design architect on the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington. Cardinal, who grew up in Alberta, also designed Ottawa’s Wabana Centre and has created a design for an indigenous centre on Victoria Island, based on the vision of William Commanda. Cardinal is a key opponent to the Zibi project.
Ottawa’s Windmill Development, which purchased the former Domtar lands, is considered one of the most environmentally friendly development companies around.
Its revitalization plan for the lands, which it has called Zibi, using the Algonquin word for river, has been named one of 10 One Planet communities in the world.
The designation recognizes both environmental and cultural sustainability, notably the company’s engagement with the Algonquin-Anishnabe community. One Planet calls it a “model for how private developers engage with First Nations in Canada.”
Q What is the role of governments in the issue?
AZoning and environmental assessment of the lands, which straddle Ontario and Quebec, and touch federally owned property, involve the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau, and the governments of Ontario and Quebec. Rezoning of the land was unsuccessfully challenged at the Ontario Municipal Board. Although the NCC considers the area of national significance and had long hoped to purchase it, the federal government’s role is relatively limited — although it owns Victoria Island, which has been the site of Aboriginal Experience, a cultural attraction operated by Turtle Island Tourism Company. Victoria Island is an aboriginal gathering place. Some say the federal government has a responsibility to address the issue of the First Nations claim to the lands directly.
Q What is next?
AOpponents have vowed to continue fighting if their appeal is (as expected) turned down by the OMB. Algonquin communities who oppose the project are considering their options.
Windmill, meanwhile, expects to begin decontaminating the Quebec shoreline of the site this fall with construction of the first condo building to be complete next year.
Hydro Ottawa says it expects its rebuilt site, with public access to the falls, will be done in time for Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017.