KCRI was our first company. It has a single purpose which is anything and everything to do within our Traditional Territory on the west side of the Fraser River (also known as the Kwoiek and Hanging Valley watersheds).
Kanaka business on the west side includes vegetation management, reclamation of past works, new site development (or not), watershed monitoring, archeaological site identification and protection, access management and on the ground relations with the public who happen to come into the area.
Through our corporate organization, it is KCRI that own the 50% stake in Kwoiek Creek Resources Limited Partnership (KCRLP) with Innergex and it is KCRI that holds the 100 acre headlease on Whyeek IR No. 4.
The Kwoiek Hydro project, now in operation for over five years, is providing Kanaka with a significant source of own source revenues (OSR) and where appropriate, the hydro project contracts with KLH and KBES for tools and people to do project related works like cable crane operators, reclamation, erosion and sediment controls and small construction.
The following photos and narrative is illustrative of what Kanaka has done with KCRi to date.
"The Clean Energy industry represent an opportunity to exercise Nlaka'pamux rights and title in a modern way"
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1990 Water license applied for by Kanaka
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2005 Development Agreement signed with Innergex
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2006 EPA acquired from BC Hydro
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2009 EAO Certificate - project can go ahead
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2010 Nlaka'pamux Nation Agreements with Siska, Nicomen, Shackan and Lower Nicola
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Dec 15, 2011 Project construction started
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Jan 1, 2014 Project commercial operational date achieved
It took a little while....
What is next for KCRI is not determined . Year round access to the west side remains uncertain as the only road in and out is not maintained, river crossing opportunities are not developed (ferry, boat or bridge) and the aerial cable crane is for hydro project purposes only. With so much opportunity on the east of the Fraser, it is likely that Kwoiek and the Hanging Valley will be left as is for a long time.