Canadian and U.S. officers have wrapped up the newest spherical in a five-year negotiation to modernize a serious treaty on flood management and energy era on the Columbia River.
International Affairs Canada says negotiators from each international locations within the Columbia River Treaty met in Kelowna on Might 16 and 17, and the following spherical of talks is scheduled for Aug. 10 and 11 in Seattle.
The unique treaty was signed in 1964 after catastrophic flooding of the Columbia River destroyed Vanport, Oregon, in 1948.
The treaty facilitated the development of 4 dams—three in British Columbia and one in the USA—to handle river waters whereas producing energy for the area’s rising energy demand.
However the province additionally says on its web site that the treaty flooded 1,100 sq. kilometres of land and displaces greater than 2,000 folks, together with a number of First Nations communities the place session was thought-about “insufficient to non-existent by at the moment’s requirements.”
International Affairs Canada says its negotiators prioritized points akin to indigenous cultural values, salmon re-introduction and home ecosystem issues in the course of the talks in Kelowna final week.
Originally posted 2023-05-21 05:26:12.