The following remarks were given by Melanie Spence from Tataskweyak Cree Nation at the Regional Cumulative Effects Assessment Community Meeting: Split Lake.
“We can’t even eat the fish here any more. We can’t even go out to what is left of our traditional area, because of the water conditions, the ice conditions. Can trappers actually trap anymore? Can they go on the land anymore? How many more people are going to die because of the conditions of the ice, because of the food that’s around us? We can’t even eat moose meat. Can we trust the moose meat around here anymore? Hydro has done nothing but kill us slowly. We have — I don’t even know what they call those stomach illnesses anyway, and some have cancer. H pylori I think it is called. My husband has that.” – Melanie Spence, Tataskweyak Cree Nation
Testimony of Melanie Spence from Tataskweyak Cree Nation. MCEC Regional Cumulative Effects Assessment Community Meeting: Split Lake. (December 8, 2017). Transcript of Hearings Held at Split Lake, MB. Page 35. Retrieved from the MCEC website: http://www.cecmanitoba.ca/hearings/regional-cumulative-effects-assesment/doc/Transcripts/RCEATCN.pdf
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