Rice attends energy summit
Supporting for Native individuals to contend least half equity in renewable resource jobs was a vital message shared by Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) primary Paul Rice at last week’s Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) Top, where he …
Advocating for Native people to have at least 50 percent equity in renewable resource projects was an essential message shared by Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) primary Paul Rice at last week’s Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) Top, where he and various other Indigenous leaders consulted with major stakeholders in the industry. “We’re independent, sovereign countries, and in conversations of these tasks, we need to be dealt with therefore,” stated Rice. “That was truly the message underlying the concept of minimum necessary equity engagement.” Rice attended the panel last Thursday in Montreal and talked on the panel “Native Neighborhoods: Crucial Actors in the Power Shift?” which was regulated by Hydro Quebec’s Emilie Senechal. He was signed up with by Jean Roy of Kruger Energy as well as Jacques Tremblay, grand chief of the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk Country. Rice claimed the panel discussion led to efficient points concerning moving on in renewable resource collaborations while recognizing the complex history of how significant power gamers have engaged with First Nations. “We discussed how these investments need to happen on the renewable energy front, you need to involve nations, you need to fully inform them of the projects and provide financial benefits,” Rice said. “Historically, these projects were forced on these communities, and it’s not until more recently that we’re seeing more of those benefits reflected back to nations.” Elsewhere up, Rice picked up from various other stakeholders about energy efforts that might be of benefit to the area. One area he was particularly interested in was Hydro Quebec’s plan for investing more in solar power. “It was great to hear some details relative to solar, which’s a natural next step for the area’s renewable energy portfolio,” Rice said. “We’re definitely exploring opportunities to do with solar power.” He said that it is important the MCK is well-versed in various forms of renewable energy, as it could play a significant role in the push for more financial security within the community. “For us, our goal is to have a variety of these projects so that we have multiple streams of revenue coming into the area, and we’re able to fund multiple projects to create significant own-source revenue for the community,” he said. “That supports our goal of financial independence and economic sovereignty, so that we’re less reliant on government funding which comes with limitations and all sorts of paternalistic processes and procedures.” The MCK has a growing renewable energy portfolio, being the co-owners of the Hertel-New York Transmission Line together with Hydro Quebec, in addition to participation in the Les Jardins and Des Cultures wind farms. The summit offers opportunities to network with other major players in the renewable energy world to prepare for further expansion in the future, Rice said, something that he also did at the 8th annual First Nations Major Projects (FNMP) Summit in Toronto at the end of last month. At that meeting, he also led with a strong message that First Nations must have a minimum 50 per cent equity in projects. “People were very interested, it’s still early days in these types of relationships with nations and governments and the private sector discussing wanting to do something more positive, but at the end of the day we’re not doing this so that we can get lip service from the government and private sector,” he said. “We want to make sure that we’re receiving more than our fair share from these projects and I want to see the government and private sector put their money where their mouth is.”
Eve Cable television, Local Journalism Initiative Press Reporter
