The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation has taken legal action against the governments of British Columbia and Canada, along with BC Hydro, arguing that successive hydroelectric dams in the province were constructed and operated without proper consideration for the Nation’s treaty rights, cultural practices, or traditional way of life.
Chief Allan Adam filed a notice of civil claim in B.C. Supreme Court last week on behalf of the First Nation.
The action covers a span of projects beginning with the W.A.C. Bennett Dam in the 1960s and extending through to the recently completed John Horgan Dam (formerly known as Site C).
According to the claim, authorities never informed the Athabasca Chipewyan about the potential downstream effects in Alberta when the Bennett Dam was built.
The lawsuit further asserts that the John Horgan Dam has produced measurable changes to water flows in the Peace-Athabasca Delta—contrary to earlier assurances from BC Hydro—despite the delta lying at the core of the Nation’s territory.
The First Nation alleges these altered flows have damaged wildlife, fish, and plant life, thereby eroding members’ opportunities for hunting, trapping, fishing, and gathering.
Neither the federal nor provincial governments nor BC Hydro have yet responded to the claim.
The allegations remain unproven in court.
