This remote First Nation pays huge electricity bills.Forced to use US sources and want to join the Ontario grid

Even though dusk is approaching, not much light is on at Harvey Poisin’s home on the remote Windigo Island of about 50 people, part of Animakey Wa Jin 37 in northwestern Ontario.

As mercury continues to drop, Poisin prepares for the return of winter and high electricity bills.

He pulled out last year’s hydroelectric bill. The January price was US$664 for him. In February he was $987.

“I’m trying to be conscious of it, but there’s not much we can do in the winter because we need to keep the house warm for our pipes.

In many respects, the communities of Windigo Island, along with the adjacent First Nations community of Angle Inlet, are both located on the Lake of the Woods and can only be accessed by boat or ice road.

They live in waters in Ontario and Manitoba that produce cheap electricity, but need to import electricity from the United States. That means you’re paying the highest electricity bill in Ontario when the exchange rate is factored in.

The Ontario government provides significant funds to help residents and businesses with their electricity bills. That’s about $6.9 billion this year alone, the Office of Financial Accountability estimates. But Windigo residents haven’t seen the cash at all. A spokesperson for the Ontario Department of Energy confirmed that the on-bills subsidy is only for people connected to the local distribution system.

Manitoba is also taking steps to reduce the cost of electricity to its residents, building transmission lines through Animaky Wadjin 37 and other traditional First Nation lands to bring more electricity to Minnesota. are exporting to This project has been running since June 2020.

However, Windigo Island may not receive billing assistance thereafter. State Issues Directive to Manitoba Hydroelectric Power Station It prevents companies from entering into agreements with indigenous communities.

This is a unique situation among Canada’s Indigenous communities, several experts told CBC News.The situation has been created by historical and ongoing injustice and requires action. be.

“I don’t want to see people leave”

Heading into the winter, Poisin said he started saving to ensure he had enough money to pay for his electricity bills.

“What options do I have? The only company serving the community. I need to live with them now until I find something else.”

Poisin said he has a well-paid job as an operator of the island’s water treatment plant, so he can afford to pay for the electricity himself. But if that stops, Poisin said he may have to move from the island where his family has lived for generations.

He is also one of the few residents of the island who pays his own bills.

First Nations pay for electricity for most buildings, including 17 homes. This is due to the financial burden and the fact that water meters are divided in ways that are difficult to divide. .

But the cost has become too high, McVicar added.

“Every month we lose money. [economic development] Alternatively, it can be used for housing and infrastructure. “

First Nation has already paid US$120,571.30 for electricity for less than 20 buildings from 2022. This equates to over $154,600 Cdn.

Minnesota’s electricity supplier charges a flat rate of US$0.138 per kilowatt hour, equivalent to approximately $0.185 Canadian dollars per kilowatt hour, based on the average November exchange rate.

Due to differences in sources and billing methods, it is difficult to compare electricity prices across Canada, but this is above the current peak tariff rate of 0.151 Cdn per kWh and lower than the premier electricity tariff of $0.103 per kWh. is also higher. Set by the Ontario Energy Commission.

This percentage is much higher than that seen in major cities in neighboring hydro-dependent states of Manitoba and Quebec. where the average electricity rates are $0.102 and $0.076 per kilowatt hourRespectively.

“we [20-year] Plan your growth. It’s about how we can do that at the cost,” McVicar said.

“Now is the tipping point. I think it will be very difficult to stay here. I don’t want to see people leave.”

After CBC News contacted Canadian Indigenous Services Canada and the Ontario Department of Energy, they began a meeting with McVicar, who said they were committed to supporting Animaky Wazin, but were unable to find a solution to address Indigenous concerns. did not provide a plan, funding, or timeline.

Neither government has said it will provide subsidies to temporarily help First Nations electricity bills. The two governments also did not disclose whether they would ultimately pay for a new hydroelectric connection to the island. The federal government recently poured millions into other major power projects Connect Indigenous peoples to Ontario’s grid.

High price of unreliable power

Vanessa Poisin, Harvey’s niece and former Chief of the First Nations, can’t imagine leaving Windigo Island.

“I’m going to be a ‘wind bug’ for the rest of my life…that’s what we call it from Windigo,” she laughed.

The area around Windigo is of historical and cultural significance and was one of the sites where the Third Treaty was signed in 1873.

“Especially the Poisin Major [families]we’ve been here since the treaty was signed, so it’s our home,” Vanessa said.

Her family will always be here, she said. One of Vanessa’s daughters, she died in 2002 and is buried on the island.

“I have to take care of her too. I’m not going to leave her,” Vanessa said. That’s why we keep fighting to stay here.”

But she faces a tough battle. First Nation pays for electricity, but price isn’t the only issue. It’s also reliability — a key issue for Vanessa, who is just starting life-saving dialysis treatment.

Vanessa has to undergo dialysis treatment three times a week for three and a half hours. If the power goes out, you must turn it off within 20 minutes before the dialysis machine’s battery runs out.

“Everything turns black… this light [on the machine] flashes red [a countdown]and it sets off a lot of alarms,” ​​Poisin said, explaining what happens when a power outage occurs.

“It takes about five to ten minutes, but sometimes I need help. As soon as the power goes off, [my husband] I run from school to come here. ”

Vanessa said she had two complete stoppages in the first three weeks of dialysis treatment. During a particularly windy time this fall, the power flickered frequently, and Vanessa said a nurse advised her to wait until the electricity went off, which ultimately took her four days.

“Like a power outage, it makes me very anxious. I’m afraid I won’t be able to get treatment for the week,” she said.

Vanessa said she wasn’t sure she would be able to stay on the island because her home’s all-electric heating and dialysis machines would make her electricity bills high, and she wouldn’t be able to take advantage of Ontario subsidies.

“I probably can’t afford to live here. To get all my food and electricity, I’m going to have to choose between food and travel.”

“Who should pay?”

Electricity bills at Animakee Wa Zhing 37 are getting higher and higher, but McVicar said he is looking to improve things like a new water treatment plant, a cultural and wellness center and new housing units for Windigo residents. energy cost.

McVicar added that some people living off the reserve are also asking to move.

“It’s good for people to have the ability to go home. But [bills] You can see it’s going up, and we’re kind of reaching a critical mass. ”

First Nation recently explored various options for bringing cheap electricity to the island, including several conversations with Hydro One, Ontario’s largest transmission and distribution provider.

Hydro One has made several proposals, including submerging power lines to connect the island to Ontario’s power grid, at an estimated cost of $5 million to $10 million, the chief said.

“That’s a lot of money, and who should pay for it?” McVicar said.

“Honestly, I have the ability to jibberjab about all this talk and anything. It’s a basic right…it’s taking too much of my time.”

A unique situation with many possible solutions

Animaky Wa Jin is one of two First Nations on the same ship.

Angle Inlet is a community of approximately 85 residents and is part of Northwest Angle 33 First Nation. It is adjacent to Windigo Island and must also import power from Minnesota.

Darlene Comegan, head of Northwest Angle 33, said they were also looking to bring down electricity costs, especially given Canada’s currency is weak compared to the US dollar.

“I don’t think it’s fair at all,” Kogan said.

“We’re just two small communities that don’t get noticed. It doesn’t feel like it’s even worth spending money on.”

CBC News spoke with three experts on indigenous power and renewable energy.

They are all doing everything from building microgrids using solar and wind power and island storage systems to reducing energy consumption by retrofitting buildings to be more energy efficient using high energy. I said there are some options to lower the cost. Efficient wood stove and heat pump. There are several state and federal programs and nonprofit organizations like Indigenous Clean Energy that can support that transition, experts agreed.

“It’s up to communities how they envision their energy future,” said Dave Lovekin, director of the Renewable Energy Program in Remote Communities at the Pembina Institute, a Canadian energy think tank.

Paul Parker, director of economic development at the University of Waterloo, said First Nations should also receive compensation from hydro companies in Ontario and Manitoba.

“The water producing low-cost hydropower that benefits others was obtained by flooding traditional areas, and what is the recognition of indigenous rights associated with that? ?” Parker told CBC News.

Ultimately, access to affordable electricity should be a basic right and governments need to step up to help, McVicar said.

“We are on the cusp of reconciliation and the realization that indigenous peoples deserve all the opportunities that settlers have had for generations to create economic development,” McVicar said. .

“In order for us to grow and sustain [affordable hydro] Otherwise, the status quo will just stagnate.”