Magpie River (Ontario)

The Magpie River (French Rivière Magpie ) is a river in the Canadian province of Ontario.

There are three hydroelectric power plants along its course - Steephill, Harris and mission - that are maintained by the Ontario Power Authority. They served the supply of iron ore mines in the region with electricity; in their favor the Michipicoten First Nation was ignoring contractual arrangements that exist since 1850, deprived of their rights to their traditional territory on Crown land and impoverished lives on Lake Superior. Most of its more than 800 members live in the neighboring cities.

Course

The Magpie River ( magpie is the English name for the Gray Jay ) rises in the Upper Magpie Lake at 420 m altitude, flows through several lakes, such as the Wejinabikun Lake and the North Wejinabikun Lake, as well as the Mozambique Lake ( 347 m). From there, it flows northwards to flow into the Esnagi Lake.

In the Esnagi Lake also opens the Tripoli Creek, while the Magpie Lake leaves again at Swanson. After the fall of the south Jean If the Peckerwood Creek empties into the Magpie, then at the Dubreuilville Hobon Creek and Herman Creek and Soderston Creek. Then the Magpie falls over the tooLong Rapids to turn southward. Again he falls over the Cedar Falls, then the Steephill Falls. Finally, he reached Wawa, where it crosses a branch of the Algoma Central Railway, which leads to Michipicoten Harbour. Finally, the river falls over the Magpie Falls and joins just before the mouth of the Michipicoten Bay with the substantially water-rich Michipicoten River. There is the Michipicoten Post Provincial Park.

History

Portages offered early connections through the Kabinakagami River, which is part of the Albany River river system, to James Bay, the southern bay of the Hudson Bay. The region was tied to both the Hudson Bay, and to the Great Lakes Region.

Already a map of Samuel de Champlain in 1632 listed next to the Magpie Michipicoten River. There was a French trading post on the river.

Even British fur traders arrived in the region and the Hudson 's Bay Company built a trading post, which was, however, burned by order of the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests in the 1960s. 1850 negotiated British representative and the local Michipicoten - Ojibwa from the Robinson Treaty, which assigned them land. Chief Totomenai signed him on 7 September of 1850, and the tribe moved to the right side of the river, opposite the trading post of the British, which was near the confluence of Michipicoten and Magpie. This area should be 4 square miles in size and are located on Gros Cap on Lake Superior. But in 1855 they were deprived of a square mile, as the territory was taken for commercial shipping to complete. In 1885 they received a reserve of only 197 acre. However, the province did not recognize the reserve, and land speculators took parts of it to be.

In addition, the Helen Mine at the Magpie, the largest iron mine in Canada was born. From 1924 to 1939, however, no iron ore was mined in Canada. In addition, large quantities of wood were beaten, which drove down the Magpie to be collected and shipped in Lake Superior. In addition, a fishing industry was built on the basis of the trout in the region. For the supply of electricity for the ore mines emerged generators, such as on the Steep Hill Falls.

1899 Michipicoten were confiscated another 1,000 acres, which were intended for a company, but that soon disappeared again. The coastline, which had been in earlier times, the main reason for the settlement was now closed for the Indians. They moved to Halfway, which is why it was called because it was halfway between the harbor and White Sands Beach. 1935 bought the Department of Indian Affairs, the 55.6 acre of Halfway to finally make it a reserve, because the Michipicoten still had none. But this time nothing happened. Only after they move again were ready, they were right next to the train station at the port now only a 13.9 acre tract of land with eight houses and electricity. These green houses gave the now recognized reserve the name, Green Acres '. But in 1971 it was found that the built - in loamy moist ground houses were not suitable for living, and the Indians moved to White Sands, where the power of Ontario, as opposed to Indian Affairs even built a road. Within the reserve, however, lived only 70 of about 700 tribesmen after they had moved five times. Today, 832 people are considered members of the Michipicoten First Nation, 56 of whom live within the reserve (as of September 2011).

1987 Great Lakes Power requested the Ministry of Environment of Ontario, the permission to produce electricity by the river. In order to be able to build the necessary to dams, which would provide electricity for Ontario Hydro at the same time, this ministry demanded negotiations with the local Michipicoten First Nation. The dam should be built on the land contract of 1850, not in the actual reserve on Lake Superior, and thus the province was responsible. As, however, the reserve when was affected to a lesser extent, was also the Government of Canada in Ottawa responsible. 1989 a treaty was signed which provided for compensation for the reserve land and for disadvantages for subsistence, but did not protect the traditional territory. Actually, this should be done in 1994, the confirmation of the results by the provincial government, but the agreement was never implemented. Due to delay and inaction, Michipicoten were denied their rights.

Hydropower plants

Three hydropower plants are operated by Brookfield along the Magpie River.

In the downstream direction, they are: