Domtar, Quebec and the federal government are of one mind—there shouldn’t be any impact hearings into the Waswanipi sawmill. But if Waswanipi has anything to say about it, those hearings will take place anyway.
“They certainly don’t like it. They have no choice but to accept that position,” says Romeo Saganash, Deputy Chief of Waswanipi.
“If we want to be consistent with what the Cree Nation is doing on hydro projects, we should do the same thing with respect to this project.” The Waswanipi Band Council decided in October that hearings are needed into the impacts of both the sawmill itself and the cutting of trees in Category II and III lands for use in the sawmill.
At a meeting between Crees and Domtar two weeks ago in Val d’Or, the company expressed its unhappiness with the idea of the hearings. Domtar is worried the hearings would be a huge precedent encouraging demands for hearings into other forestry projects across Canada. The same worries are unnerving Quebec and federal representatives to the environmental review committee that reviews development projects under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.
The wrangling is delaying the date of signing of the final sawmill deal, now expected to be March 17. Earlier, Chief John Kitchen had hoped for a signing in early February.
