25 large wild rivers under threat
Nunavik's last great wild rivers
Endangered Rivers: Arnaud, Aux Feuilles, Aux Mélèzes, Koaksoak, À la Baleine, Georges, De Povungnituk, Innuksuac, Nastapoka, Petite rivière de la Baleine and Grande rivière de la Baleine
The permafrost time bomb
The rivers in Nunavik have very high flows, but low gradients. As a result, huge swathes of territory would have to be flooded if we wanted to obtain enough power to make it worthwhile. A perverse effect of such flooding would be to accelerate the thawing process of the permafrost, which contains a lot of frozen organic matter. Once thawed and released into the atmosphere, this matter would be released in the form of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. It's the equivalent of a veritable climate bomb. It would be completely irresponsible to consider the development of such areas, which could accelerate the release of very large quantities of greenhouse gases in the event of flooding.
What's more, it would be exorbitantly expensive to get there, given the great distance and lack of road access. For example, the Georges River is a 9.40-hour flight from Montreal, and presents a major logistical challenge; all equipment would have to be transported by boat.
Take action to protect our last great wild rivers
Rivière Nastapoka and Rivière à la Baleine: unique in the world
Hydro-Québec once wanted to divert the exceptional Nastapoka River, which runs 402 km and constitutes one of the largest rivers in Northern Quebec, with a watershed covering 13,400 km2. This river, tributary on the east coast of Hudson Bay, was be diverted to James Bay's Grande-Baleine River, a project abandoned in 1994 in the process of creating the National Park Tursujuq. This habitat is unique in the world, home to beluga whales, freshwater seals and Atlantic salmon at its mouth.
Rivière à la Baleine is also exceptional. It is a tributary of the southern shore of Ungava Bay. Naniwau Sipior Naniwausipi, is the Naskapi name for the Whale River. Qikirtajuaq Island, 17.3 km long, obstructs the mouth of the Rivière à la Baleine, extending up to 20.2 km at low tide due to its long beaches. At its mouth is a summer concentration area for beluga whales. Protecting this river is a matter of course, given its great ecological value.
The Battle of the Cree
We have already flooded vast territories and Hydro-Québec's last attempt to build a hydroelectric plant there, the Grande-Baleine project, was cancelled in 1994. in the face of opposition from Cree and Inuit villagers. Fort de la paix des Bravessigned between Quebec and the Grand Council of the Crees in 2002, the Grand Council of the Crees launched a $4.7 billion, 30-year economic development plan in 2020. The Grand Alliance. This is a nation-to-nation agreement for the planning and execution of a 30-year infrastructure program to potentially extend the transportation network (rail, road, port and airport), improve living standards (housing, electricity and Internet) and ensure long-term protection of the territory (protected areas). The project is the subject of debate within the community, with the Eeyou Istchee Youth Council expressing concern that the project would not provide a fair and equitable opportunity for young people to participate in community life. fairly extensive protection of the territory.
List of Nunavik's threatened wild rivers
| Name of the river | Modulus flow (m3/s) | Length (km) | Height difference (m) | Catchment area (km2) | Potential MW* (in MW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koaksoak | 2096 | 134 | 15 | 137010 | |
| George | 871 | 475 | 463 | 41699 | 3100 |
| Baleine (Grande riv. de la) | 701 | 418 | 427 | 42735 | 3000 |
| Baleine (à la) | 589 | 400 | 600 | 31857 | 1100 |
| Arnaud (Payne) and Pelletier (Hamelin) | 568 | 262 | 158 | 49469 | 460 |
| Leaves | 556 | 386 | 183 | 42476 | 700 |
| Decoumte (Povungnituk 0973) | 149 | 290 | 378 | 13701 | |
| Innuksuac | 102 | 396 | 236 | 10280 | |
| Larch (aux) | 654 | 272 | 258 | 42735 | 380 |
| Nastapoka | 175 | 402 | 366 | 13364 | 500 |
| Petite riv. à la Baleine | 225 | 290 | 427 | 15851 | 670 |
