Last September, actor Roy Dupuis and a group of ecologists hit the headlines by opposing Hydro-Quebec’s proposal to build four power stations on the River Romaine.  He says that this project threatens one of the last great watercourses still in its natural state.  But near the river-mouth there are eight small towns for which the project could mean the difference between prosperity and disappearance.  Pierre Cormier, head of the Minganie regional council and mayor of Havre-Saint-Pierre, makes his case for the defence.

What will the Romaine project bring to your region?
The construction will be spread over 11 years and will generate on average 950 jobs per year.  That’s equivalent to around 150,000 jobs per year in Montreal.  At the present time Havre-Saint-Pierre has 3,200 inhabitants.  With a project like this the population could increase to 4,000.  That’s very attractive for a community like ours.  After the construction it’s expected that there will be 114 permanent posts. That’s like 14,000 jobs in Montreal.  It’s equivalent to a Bombardier Aéronautique or a Pratt & Whitney. <<2 major aeronautic companies based in Dorval and Longueil respectively>>

Will all the jobs be filled by people from your region?
No, that’s not possible.  In Havre-Saint-Pierre most of the people are already in work.  The job shortage mostly affects the little neighbouring areas.  In the region as a whole, if we get 200 of the 950 jobs that’ll suit everyone.  The remainder will be taken up by workers from other construction sites that are closing down.  If 10-15% of these decide to settle here for good, we’ll be very happy.  Accordingly we’re building homes.  Later on businesses will be set up and that will create other jobs.  We’re also aiming to attract back the young folk who have left the region.

Apart from employment, what else will the project bring?
A project like this will allow us to open up the territory, because it includes a 150km road going north.  Arising from this, many opportunities will be available to the forestry, mining and tourist industries.

Some critics state that the people of your region have been bought off by Hydro-Quebec with grants of hundreds of millions of dollars over 50 years.  What do you say to that?
The negotiations with Hydro-Quebec have not been easy.  We’ve been talking about this project for 8 years.  All along, we’ve been aware that if Hydro-Quebec wanted to come to the region to harness the Romaine, it’s because it’s advantageous for them, and therefore for Quebec.  But it’s our land, and that has a price!  I feel we asked for the most we could get.  Quite apart from the grants, the sole fact of obtaining 950 jobs is itself attractive.  We were not bought off.

Do you believe that the environmental impacts will not be damaging?
The river won’t disappear.  On the contrary, it will be there forever, and in addition it will become an important energy source.  Hydroelectricity is a renewable resource, a clean resource.

Even so, some land will be flooded.
That’s true.  But the area will be equivalent to that flooded by the SM3 dam <<on the nearby Sainte-Marguerite river in 1998, an area about the size of Laval>>, and this produces less power than that envisaged for the Romaine.
Also, the threat of mercury in reservoir water is exaggerated.  In the Manicouagan-Uapishka region there are 9 hydroelectric dams and forestry companies in production for 100 years.  Yet this region has been declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. And it’s certainly not because it’s polluted!  I don’t understand this systematic opposition to river development.  In Havre-Saint-Pierre we celebrated 150 years of history last year.  If we’re not there any longer, who’s going to occupy the land?

Do you think that your community will disappear?
Out of the eight municipalities in the region, seven are devitalised.  If the project doesn’t happen, in 10 years there will maybe be no more than four or five.  We are losing our youth because we don’t have attractive jobs to offer them.

What trades will these 950 promised jobs be?
There’s going to be all sorts of jobs – heavy machine operators, mechanics, joiners, electricians, technicians, security guards ...

And will the people in your area be sufficiently qualified to do them?
For the most part, yes.  And those that aren’t are busy getting upskilled.  At the present time the Education Board of the mid North Coast, based in Havre-Saint-Pierre, is offering several specialised courses, for example to become a stonemason.  We’ve been working on this project for eight years.

In your opinion, does the Romaine belong to the people of the North Coast, or to the whole of Quebec?
The Romaine belongs to us because we live in the region.  We haven’t had to decide on the fate of Autoroute 30, the Laval metro or the University of Montreal Hospital Centre, and that’s quite alright.  But this project has come to our doorstep.  It’s up to us in the first place to make a decision.  But one thing is sure, it’s going to have repercussions on the whole of Quebec.  Hydro-Quebec expects economic returns for Quebec of 3.5 billion dollars.

And if the majority of the people of Quebec declared themselves to be against this development, how would you react?
I don’t think the people of Quebec will return that verdict.  I don’t think they are ready to close down a region in order to save a river.

Have you explored the Romaine?
No. Roy Dupuis and his group have, but if this project hadn’t been topical, he probably would never have seen it.  This is opposition for opposition’s sake, and that’s no good.  We are asked to take ourselves in hand, and when the opportunities present themselves they put a spoke in our wheel.  It’s tough for the locals – all they want is to make a living.

What does this river represent to you?
It’s a beautiful river, and it will continue to be beautiful.  In addition, it’s going to bring added value to the region and to the rest of Quebec.

According to the ecologists, this is our last great river still in its wild state.  What do you say to that?
There are 4,500 rivers in Quebec.  The Romaine will be the 74^th to be harnessed.  That represents less than 2% of the rivers in the province.

Might it be not so attractive to the whole of Quebec?  Is there really a need for more dams to respond to our energy requirements?
The people of Quebec are interested in developing this renewable, clean resource.  If we are able to close down US coal-powered generators thanks to our dams, that will be progress.  In addition it will be new money coming into Quebec that can be directed into health, education, whatever you like.

Supposing that the project gets done.  How do you see your region in 10-15 years?
We’ve already begun development.  We’ve just opened a residential area of 100 houses.  We’ve carried out an expansion to accommodate 30 additional houses in our mobile home park.  We’re enlarging our industrial park.  The people expect this to be done.

Even if it happens, is it possible that the region will continue to decline anyway?
Far from it.  Many people from the region who had left are waiting for a project like this to put steps in place to return.  The feeling of belonging is enormous.  It’s just that they can’t come back as long as there’s no work.

And if it doesn’t happen?
It has to happen.