Residents of Oxford House, Manitoba will remember July 24, 1997 as the day their lives became a little easier.
Early that morning workers at the Oxford House Diesel Plant, for thirty years the town's chief source of electric power, permanently shut down their generating engines. At the same time, 164 km away, Manitoba Hydro staff energized the brand new Kelsey Generating Station. With the flip of a switch, Oxford House was introduced to something most other Canadians take for granted -- unlimited electric energy.
Thus marked completion of another stage of the North Central Project (NCP), a joint effort by Ottawa, the provincial government and Manitoba Hydro to bring cheap and reliable electric power to 10,000 First Nation residents scattered across several remote communities northeast of Lake Winnipeg.
500 km of transmission and distribution lines and four substations will be built by the time the multi-year $148 million project is complete. Three parties are picking up the tab. The federal and provincial governments are kicking in 75 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. Manitoba Hydro, the project manager, is contributing the remaining 10 per cent.
Work has been progressing ahead of schedule ever since the ground broke on NCP back in the winter of 1995. Workers completed the first section of the new 138 kV transmission line from Kelsey to Generating Station to Oxford House in March. Oxford House was the first community to receive power from the line. And by the time this article is published, the God's Lake First Nation and the non-reserve community of God's Lake should also be connected. The remaining First Nation communities -- Garden Hill, Wasagamack, Red Sucker Lake and St. Theresa Point -- are scheduled to receive full service by the summer of 1998.
For residents of the First Nation communities, the NCP represents a new way of life. Diesel generators of the type used at Oxford House provide each household with only 15 amp of energy -- enough to run lights and one household appliance at any one time. What little energy they produce is much more expensive than hydro-generated power. Heating bills should drop too. Oil is relatively expensive, and woodstoves, the only other option for locals, is particularly harmful to the immediate environment.
But cheap electricity is only one benefit of the North Central Project. What really sets it apart from other large-scale utility projects is the level of community involvement. Rather than flying in staff, erecting transmission towers and flying home, Manitoba Hydro is working in close conjunction with the communities. NCP's three principal backers realize that it is more than just a construction project, but an investment in the future of the region. They wanted assurances that whatever economic opportunities arise because of the project should be shared with local residents. For this reason they formed the Northeast Community Support Agency (NCSA). The NCSA acts as a liaison, representing the common ground between the communities, government and corporate interests. They also help the communities squeeze as much economic opportunity as possible from the NCP.
"We get involved to ensure they are fully aware of what's going on, making sure Manitoba Hydro is aware of any concerns the community has," said Jeff Mercer, spokesperson for the NCSA. His organization's effort is already paying off.
Jobs in the traditionally depressed region are plentiful, even if they are short-term in nature. While Manitoba Hydro provides the supervision and technical advisory staff and Comstock Canada the construction teams and contractors, everything else, clearing, construction assistance and similar tasks are being handled entirely by local residents. When the NCP is finally completed, hundreds of skilled and experienced workers -- ready for other opportunities -- will be left in its wake. Seven hundred locals owe their current jobs to the project, representing more than half of the NCP's total workforce. And that does not count jobs created by various cottage industries that spring up around seasonal work projects. Mercer and his colleagues at NCSA hear success stories all the time.
"At Oxford House. . . an individual bought a mobile home and he provided accommodations and meals to Manitoba Hydro and other people who were there, and he was able to pay for that in one winter. Now he has a hotel that will be there forever."
This sudden burst in employment means there's more wealth to spread around, raising the standard of living for everyone. Community undertakings that were completely unfeasible before the arrival of unlimited energy, a new school and water and sewage system in particular, are now in the planning stages. The substantial cut in hydro bills should go a long way in fostering a new business climate.
"The average school, for instance, will go from an annual electricity bill of $250,000 to $300,000 to $25,000 or $30,000," Mercer added.
Then there is the long-term impact to consider. More money means business owners can afford to invest in themselves. Resort lodges that cater to hunters and anglers from Winnipeg and the U.S. will see their profits increase exponentially simply by switching their supply of electricity. Local contractors, usually jobless during the winter months, now have extra money to buy new and better equipment.
Not that everyone is embracing the new power source; there is a fee to switch from diesel to electric power, and some old habits die hard. But Mercer thinks the potential for savings will persuade most locals to make the change.
If nothing else, the NCP is at least a testament to the successful lobbying power of the First Nation bands. During the mid-eighties Tribal Councils studied ways to fuel their increasing energy needs, everything from added diesel power output to wind and solar power projects. Cost was not the only consideration. Councils wanted an environmentally-friendly alternative.
A new landline, they concluded, was the best solution. After initial consultation with the Department of Indian Affairs and some haggling over payment, the existing cost-sharing agreement was hammered out. Manitoba's government gave the go-ahead in 1992 after the completion of an environmental impact assessment.
Lou Girard is a transmission line manager at Comstock Canada, the contractor company working with the First Nation communities. His company is supplying half of the project's construction crew. The North Central Project, he said, is particularly demanding work. Besides the obvious problems of working in deep bush an hour plane ride from the nearest accessible town -- the work area cannot be reached by road -- his crews must also contend with awkward schedules. It is possible to drive into the area during winter using "winter roads." Thus most work is accomplished during winter, a narrow window of opportunity that stretches from January to March.
"You have to organize your resources in order to complete whatever you have planned for that season, and hopefully the winter behaves the way you would normally expect it to behave," Girard said.
"The project is very complicated because it involves a number of communities. . . the relationships with the communities. From that perspective it was complicated, not difficult, but complicated," confirmed Glenn Schneider, spokesperson for Manitoba Hydro. Under an agreement with Manitoba Hydro, each community negotiated separate contracts for work in their territorial areas. Viewed in this light, the NCP can rightly be considered as nine autonomous mini-projects.
In the end, Mercer said, all parties, including Manitoba Hydro, the province and especially the communities benefit from the NCP.
"Economic opportunities are increasing a hundred-fold. It's been great." ET