MCK receives raw sewage report

11/06/2015

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) wishes to inform the community that Environment Portfolio Chief Clinton Phillips and a technical team attended a meeting this morning to discuss the expert panel’s report on the issue of the City of Montreal’s planned dumping of untreated sewage into the St. Lawrence River.

The initial plan was stopped last month by an order from Environment Canada after concerns were raised by a number of environmental groups and individuals, the MCK among them.

The report, commissioned by Environment Canada, includes analysis and recommendations by a group of independent experts. Those attending this morning’s meeting included Environment Canada, the City of Montreal, Environment Quebec, the authors of the report and the MCK team. No other communities or municipalities were in attendance.

“We received a copy of the report this morning,” said Chief Phillips. “We’re going to spend time going over the report this weekend and bring the topic to Chief & Council on Monday. It’s a lengthy and very technical report, so it’s too early to offer definitive comment just yet.”

“We once again reiterated our message that Canada and the province have a duty to consult, not an option to consult,” he continued. “There have been some significant gaps in the process and the parties were put on notice that anything less than full and proper consultation won’t be tolerated.”

“We cannot stress enough the importance of water,” he concluded. “Water is life. And we continue to exercise our Aboriginal rights on the river every day, whether fishing, canoeing, or just gathering on its banks to simply enjoy and appreciate the gifts the river brings us.”