Why protect this river?

• The prestigious National Geographic and several other specialist magazines have ranked the Magpie River among the 10 best rivers in the world for whitewater rafting. Its recreational tourism potential has been confirmed by an independent study.

  A scientific study* concluded that the Magpie River offers a density and calibre of rapids unmatched by other internationally renowned expedition rivers. Yet, of them all, it is the only river not to benefit from protected status.

  *Study by the Laboratoire d’expertise et de recherche en plein air [Outdoor Expertise and Research Laboratory] (LERPA) :

  “The quality of the landscapes, the rugged topography of some sections, the wild character and the level of difficulty of the rapids give the Magpie its reputation as the ultimate river” (Fédération québécoise du canot et du kayak, 2004).

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  The prestigious National Geographic and several other specialist magazines have ranked the Magpie River among the 10 best rivers in the world for whitewater rafting. Its recreational tourism potential has been confirmed by an independent study.
• The Muteshekau River is one of the arteries of the Innu Nitassinan (ancestral territory of the Innu Nation)

  The Innu Council of Ekuanitshit passed a resolution in January 2016 in favour of protecting the Muteshekau (Magpie) River, its landscapes and its uses. The ancestral territory (Nitassinan) of this Innu community includes the Magpie River and its watershed.

  “We Innu have always protected and revered Muteshekau-shipu, and we always will. It is the same with our Nitassinan.” Jean-Charles Piétacho, chief of the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit

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  The Muteshekau River is one of the arteries of the Innu Nitassinan (ancestral territory of the Innu Nation)
• The protection of the Magpie River has received broad regional and national consensus.

  The consensus for the protection of the Magpie River is most clearly evident in the official resolutions voted on by the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit and the Minganie RCM, as well as in the numerous letters of support received from provincial elected representatives, companies, academic organizations and environmental groups. An official proposal for a protected area of ​​2630 km² was even submitted to the Quebec government in 2016 by elected officials of the Côte-Nord region, though it has remained unanswered.

  “The Magpie River is a regional, national and international treasure. Its protection and enhancement represent immense potential for recreotourism development in our region.” — Luc Noël, prefect of the Minganie RCM

  The Quebec Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources opposes the permanent protection of the river. State-owned Hydro-Quebec has already included the Magpie River in its strategic plans and assessed its potential for energy development.

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  The protection of the Magpie River has received broad regional and national consensus.
• More than 11 000 people signed a petition launched by SNAP Québec and the AEVM in 2009 to protect the Magpie River

  Since 2009, the consensus to protect this river has grown stronger and stronger and has now reached a peak through this alliance among First Nations, elected officials, citizen groups and environmental groups, in addition to all other supporters.

   

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  More than 11 000 people signed a petition launched by SNAP Québec and the AEVM in 2009 to protect the Magpie River
• The Office of Public Hearings on the Environment of Quebec (BAPE) has twice recommended the protection of the Magpie River.

  A tiny portion of the Magpie River, upstream, already enjoys provisional protected status. In 2006, the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement [Office of Public Hearings on the Environment], or BAPE, was tasked with carrying out a public consultation on this protected-area project, with a view to protecting the area in perpetuity. Following this process, BAPE ruled that the boundaries of the area should be revised to include the downstream portion of the Magpie River — up to the third waterfall — and to respect certain natural boundaries.

  The report, written in 2009 following BAPE’s public hearings on the development of the Romaine River hydroelectric complex, recommended that a river similar to the Romaine in the Côte-Nord territory be protected. According to a study by LERPA, the Magpie River is the only river with the same recreational wealth as the Romaine.

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  The Office of Public Hearings on the Environment of Quebec (BAPE) has twice recommended the protection of the Magpie River.