Case #1277.1

Cultures in Collision: Battling Over the Environmental Review of Quebec's Great Whale Project (Sequel)

Publication Date: April 03, 1995
$2.45
Current Stock:

Educator Access

A review copy of this case is available free of charge to educators and trainers. Please create an account or sign in to gain access to this material.

Permission to Reprint

Each purchase of this product entitles the buyer to one digital file and use. If you intend to distribute, teach, or share this item, you must purchase permission for each individual who will be given access. Learn more about purchasing permission to reprint.

Abstract:
When the government of Quebec announces plans to build a huge hydroelectric project in the James Bay region in the north of the province, a protracted struggle is set in motion. The government's vision of energy self-reliance and export, along with construction and operations jobs, is set against the opposition of Cree Indians who fear the changes the project portends for their region and environmentalists in Canada and the US, who fear the despoiling of the remote north. In keeping with Canadian law and current practice in the developed world, Quebec initiates an elaborate environmental impact statement about the James Bay project. It is unclear, however, what levels and types of impacts would be acceptable and which is not.

Learning Objective:
This case is meant to allow critique of the nature and limits of environmental impact reviews. Do they adequately protect environmentally fragile areas? Have they substituted for the traditional political process? Do they offer interest groups a wedge to stall major capital projects to death? The ultimate decision not to build the Great Whale project gives these questions additional impact.

Other Details

Teaching Plan:
Available with Educator Access
Case Author:
Pamela Varley
Faculty Lead:
Henry Lee
Pages (incl. exhibits):
4
Setting:
Canada, Quebec
Language:
English
Funding:
US Donner Foundation, Perkins Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Francis H. Cabot, Business Fund for Canadian Studies