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Fondation Rivieres strikes back

Posted by Montreal Environment in Consumer Life, Energy, Resource Development, Sustainability

On September 1st, Fondation Rivieres launched a multimedia green energy campaign unique in Quebec and possibly in Canada. With a star studded line-up, the Avec Energie Campaign is expected to become a province-wide citizen movement that can impact the energy policy in Quebec for the long-term. The message is simple yet ignored by the present provincial government: green energy is more profitable, less destructive environmentally and more socially responsible.

Avec Energie is a natural evolution for Fondation Rivieres, which was born at the turn of the new millennium when private small dams threatened the sustainability of Quebec’s rivers. At the time, two of the founding members, Alain Saladzius and Anne-Marie Saint Cerny, uncovered and made public several irregularities regarding contracting, authorizations, operation and even money laundering schemes of the private small dam industry. In 1995 they were promptly brought to court on defamation charges, known as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP), totaling some 3 million dollars. The charges were eventually dropped after the promoters received a formal public apology form Mr. Saladzius and Mrs. Saint Cerny. Their actions nevertheless changed the course of the small dam industry in Quebec by first prompting a governmental inquiry into the industry’s practices (the Doyon Commission) which led the government to revise its small dam program and include specific public participation measures.

Watch Anne-Marie Saint-Cerny’s testimony on SLAPP here

In 2001, Mr. Saladzius, launched the Adopt a River Campaign and recruited well known personalities, such as Paul Piché and Roy Dupuis, to the cause. In total, 60 personalities signed the “Declaration of opposition to the construction of new small dams in Quebec” After an intense campaign in various regions in Quebec and a manifestation in front of Hydro-Quebec’s headquarters (that the utility and the government ignored) Mr. Saladzius extended his support to Mikael Rioux who was protesting the building of a small dam on the Trois-Pistoles river. Unable to gain any response from the government, Mikael begun a 45-day protest on site, perched on a platform above the river. During the ceremony for the Medal of Bravery that he was awarded for saving a father and his two sons from drowning, Mikael  made an impassionate speech for the preservation of Quebec’s rivers. In 2002, Mr. Saladzius’ and Mikael’s actions bear fruit when Bernard Laundry announces the cancellation of the majority of small dams and a moratorium on their future development.

Watch the Trois-Pistoles save the river campaign video here

In 2006, the Foundation joins forces with three Cree communities in the James Bay against the construction of the Rupert River Diversion project. During this campaign they uncover a wind energy proposal from the multinational Siemens that was presented to the provincial government in 2005 and which was turned down and hidden form the public. In 2008, the Foundation undertakes a white-water river protest on the Romaine River in the company of Roy Dupuis, the Journal de Montreal and Alex Shoumatoff, a journalist with Vanity Fair. In this case they expose behind-closed-doors deals between Hydro-Quebec and municipalities, as well as exceptionally well funded PR firms ($20 million) hired to sway local public perception of the project.

Launched this week, the Avec Energy Campaign aims to rally citizens and put pressure on the government to abate the latest push for more dams in Quebec. Aware and concerned of the recent economic downturn the Foundation is promoting green energy alternatives to hydro projects. With the help of 11 personalities, such as Roy Dupuis, Paul Piché, Yann Perreau, Celine Bonnier, and Christian Bégin, they have produced a series of video messages backed by significant research for the average consumer. Citizens are encouraged to engage the government and Hydro-Quebec in a debate over energy policy by sending pointed messages to their elected officials. They can also learn how to be energy savvy and implement green energy alternatives.

Check out the campaign at www.avecenergie.com