Because of bad timing, Roy has had to postpone his battle against the diversion of the Rupert River, on behalf of the Crees of north Quebec, till the autumn.  Roy’s battle is beginning to look like a race against the clock.

The 5 million dollar project to divert the river towards the Eastmain-1-A power station has been ongoing for 7 months in the north of Quebec.  Is it too late to stop it?

The actor who has been campaigning for several months, received an official call for help from the Cree chiefs of the 3 villages (Nemaska, Chisasibi and Waskaganish) situated on the part of the Rupert River that will be affected by the diversion.

“For the first time, they themselves have asked me to arrange to meet them officially,” says Roy Dupuis, encouraged by this show of confidence.

But he won’t be able to respond before October due to professional engagements.  “I’m going to go there as soon as I have the time,” confirms the activist actor who is vice-president (sic) of the Rivers Foundation.

“Yes, I’m a bit tired,” he announced last week.

But not so much that he’ll miss an opportunity to denounce the Rupert River project to the press.  “Hydro-Quebec is managed like a private company,” he complains.

Roy Dupuis believes firmly that the diversion is not necessary.  But will October be too late for action?

“It’s not too late for passing on information,” replies the vice-president (sic) of the Rivers Foundation.

Michel Gauthier, president (sic) of the non-profit making organisation, is of the same opinion.  “The work is not yet irreversible;  the water is not yet diverted.”

“We will do what we can, we will take action and we shall see,”  adds Roy Dupuis.

Roy Dupuis is more in demand than ever in films since he played Roméo Dallaire in Shake Hands with the Devil last year. When the Montreal Journal met him last week, he was in the middle of a work sprint of several weeks’ duration.  He was finishing the last day of filming on Louis Bélanger’s Timekeeper (budget $6 million).  The next day he flew to Montreal to dub Shake Hands with the Devil (budget $1 million) into French.  Then he was expected in France on the set of  L’Instinct de mort (budget $52 million) alongside Gérard Depardieu and Vincent Cassell, where filming began on 20^th August. 

Roy Dupuis will thus have taken part in 4 major productions since the spring.

His September will also be punctuated by 2 important releases – Emotional Arithmetic at the Toronto Film Festival on the 15^th, followed by Shake Hands with the Devil in Canada and the US on the 28^th.

The River Rupert runs for 700 km, 1,000 km north of Montreal.  Its diversion towards Eastmain-1-A will reduce its rate of flow by 50-70% over a 300 km stretch, drying up the hunting areas of the Cree villages.