BY MICHEL DUGRÉ AND MARIE-CLAIRE DAVID
LA BAIE, Quebec - "It's my future that is going away," said Francois Bergeron, 17, while his father's farm was being washed away by torrents of water on July 19. The disaster occurred after a barrier owned by Stone Consolidated paper company collapsed on Lake Ha! Ha!

The Ha! Ha! lake, with a 28 mile circumference, emptied in a matter of a few hours. Once the barrier broke, wave after wave destroyed everything downstream, including two small villages, Boilleau and Ferland. Hundreds of homes down the Ha! Ha! River were engulfed.

Eleven people died throughout the area, including two children in La Baie, who were buried alive after the house they were sleeping in was destroyed by a mud slide. More than 14,000 people were displaced during the storm.

In La Baie, Maurice Bergeron, Francois's father, and his brother René both lost their homes. They had to sell their 250 cows for lack of drinkable water in the following days. "At 57, whether or not I resume farming is an open question," said Maurice Bergeron.

Jules Poulin, whose farm was two kilometers up the river, lost his whole farm. All his farm buildings were destroyed by the water and almost half of his 110 cattle drowned. "We thought it was the end of the world," said his wife looking at the crater-like scene of what was once green pasture with a small river.

In Chicoutimi, some 20 kilometers north of La Baie, a whole sector of the city was destroyed after the Kenogami reservoir overflowed. Five dams were damaged in these two days.

"Without the dam the water would have flowed in the normal river bed," said Jacques Duperré, 84, whose house was severely damaged in the flood. "Instead, the dam created an obstacle that forced water to flow into the city center." The dam, located in the middle of the city, is owned by Abitibi-Price paper company.

The Saguenay-Lac Saint-Jean area is very rich in water resources. Paper companies, like Stone and Abitibi-Price use water for electricity and paper production. Alcan, an aluminum plant, has built itself a very advantageous position in the world aluminum market by getting control over cheap electricity. These and other companies have built dams since the beginning of the century.

More facts are coming out showing the total disregard of these companies for the well-being of human beings living below their dams. Fernand Lavoie ex-mayor of Boilleau said that for months city residents had warned Stone Consolidated that the water level in the reservoir was too high.

"In fact the water level in the two rivers down the dams was lower this summer, a heavy rainy summer, than during last summer's drought because the companies were keeping the water in their reservoirs," said Louise Harvey, one of the displaced residents in Chicoutimi.

The flood provoked a big discussion among workers. At Alcan's plant in Jonquiere, many of the 3,000 workers said that while the heavy rainfall on July 19-20 was exceptional, the dams were poorly managed. Others said that the disaster had exclusively natural causes. "Alcan is here because there is electricity. We have to live with this," said one worker, summarizing the opinion of many others. While many workers said that the paper companies need water and that jobs depended on the dams, others disagreed. "The companies are only there to defend their profits," said Germain Pelletier, who also works at Alcan. "The government is in bed with them. Now that the threat to our lives is over, we can begin looking more closely at what provoked the disaster."

"Alcan is now pouring 2 million dollars a day to rebuild its infrastructure, but they have no money for us when we ask for a 25 cents pay raise," said Rémy, a 52 year old mechanic.

Two committees have sprung up to make sure that the government inquiry on the administration of the dams and the safety of the water levels is public. Paul-Étienne Gilbert, spokesperson for the Committee of the Disaster Stricken in La Baie said "The government has a part in this as well as the owners of the private dams. Claiming as they do that this was an `act of God' can only serve the interests of the insurance companies. We want the victims to be heard, to have a say in the inquiry."

While the Quebec government still refuses to launch an official inquiry, they have, however, instituted a scientific commission. Working people have reacted immediately to the disaster sending money, food, clothing, dishes or going up to the region to help.

Many unions have pitched in to help. The Communications, Energy and Paper Union started a $50,000 fund. The Quebec Federation of Labor (FTQ) and the Quebec Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN) have also launched fund appeals to their members. The Canadian Auto Workers Union announced it would donate $50,000. The Steelworkers union gave $150,000, while many other union locals initiated drives.

Michel Dugré is a member of the International Association of Machinists at the JWI Johnson plant in Montreal.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home