Public Interest Law Center

Kate Robb and Mackenzie Roop were hosted by the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC).

Kate's main task was to review historic documents related to hydroelectric development in northern Manitoba, with a focus on the origins of the Augmented Flow Program (AFP). The AFP allows Manitoba Hydro to deviate from the terms of its interim license for the Churchill River Diversion (CRD), leading to altered water flows that negatively impact both the environment and many First Nations communities. In reviewing the documents, a key concern that arose was the lack of public participation in any of the studies commissioned by the government or Manitoba Hydro leading up to the implementation of the AFP. Of particular concern was participation from the First Nations who are directly impacted by the devastation caused by the AFP. In order to assess the level of participation, she developed a framework based on the Impact Assessment Agency (IAA) of Canada’s definition for meaningful public participation. In considering that the public in this case consists primarily of First Nations, and that the IAA guidelines are western-centred, the framework was adapted with guidance from Indigenous research methodologies. The final deliverable was a report on the extent of meaningful public participation in studies leading up to the AFP, including appendices that summarize each study that was reviewed and identify key topics of relevance to the PILC lawyers. Kate also created an online database using Mendelay where the PILC lawyers can easily access all documents related to the AFP file. Through her placement she learned how to use both Mendelay and NVivo 12 software, greatly improved her critical thinking and writing skills, and learned a tremendous amount about the ongoing injustices cause by hydroelectric development in Manitoba.

Mackenzie worked on and completed a report that highlighted the findings from 50 Manitoba First Nations concerns and recommendations for the improvement of the federal Impact Assessment Act. This project had been requested by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC). She also learned how to code on NVivo, a qualitative software program, and worked with Mendeley, a reference software.