The Saik’uz First Nation says it has no desire to dismantle the Kenney Dam.
Chief Priscilla Mueller issued the clarification in the wake of a media report Monday that suggested both the Saik’uz and Stellat’en want the dam gone.
Both Nations are in the midst of a 200-day court case against Rio Tinto (Alcan), B.C., and Canada over the 67-year-old dam’s impact on the Nechako River and their Indigenous rights.
“We’ve been clear from the start that this court case is about restoring the fisheries and overall health of the Nechako River,” said Mueller in a news release. “We’ve also said that our Aboriginal rights were violated in the late 1940s when Canada and BC gave away water rights to 70% of the water-flows in the Nechako without consultation or our approval to do so.”
Mueller says the Saik’uz respect Stellat’en Chief Archie Patrick, who was quoted in the story saying Rio Tinto can take down the Kenney Dam and restore everything to way it was prior to 1952, but adds her Nation has never called for the dam to be dismantled.
The trial is currently hearing witnesses for five days in Prince George.
