Reviews recommend more oversight, beefed up foundation stability work ZOE DUCKLOW, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER Feb. 26, 2021 11:06 a.m. Premier John Horgan says his government will continue building the Site C mega dam in northeastern B.C., with an increased budget of $16 billion and a one year delay. Last August, the government commissioned a […]
Site C
Site C Is Shortchanging BC Workers and Apprentices, Say Unions
Megaproject a missed opportunity to address skills shortage, critics argue. The largest public works project in B.C.’s history — the Site C dam — is providing a much smaller share of the jobs to British Columbians than previous BC Hydro projects. And despite promises the $10.7-billion megaproject would provide a training ground for a new […]
Site C Injunction Request Has Strong Argument but Poor Odds
Construction needs to stop so that rights ‘aren’t gone before the First Nations can have their day in court,’ lawyer says. The federal government made a splash in the Site C news cycle earlier this month when Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould announced it would not oppose an injunction application from two First Nations groups. It […]
There’s still time to stop Site C
An excerpt from a new book on the dam project that’s divided B.C. Damming the Peace: The Hidden Costs of the Site C Dam Wendy Holm James Lorimer & Company (2018) Site C is a behemoth of a project. Its every twitch initiates a chain reaction in no less than five spheres. I recently contributed, […]
Site C: What Happens Next?
From expropriation to First Nations lawsuit to political shifts, dam decision brings change. Premier John Horgan has announced his government will continue building the Site C dam, increasing the project budget to $10.7 billion from $8.8 billion. Work should never have started under the previous government, Horgan said, but stopping now would would mean writing […]
Surprised to be Heard: Presenters at Site C Inquiry Find Their Voice
‘I’ve been to many of these things and this was refreshingly good.’ On a Saturday afternoon in late September, the 12th-floor room in a downtown Vancouver office tower was buzzing. People looked around for familiar faces, quietly talking. The list of speakers read like signatures on a petition. Folks seemed nervous; they were full of […]
Site C called first test for NDP’s commitment to Indigenous rights
‘It’s the issue that’s out front and in everybody’s faces.’ Recent experiences with the federal government have left Prophet River First Nation member Helen Knott wary of government promises. So while she and other Indigenous people are excited about NDP provincial government commitments to adopt the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, words […]
Tough Task Ahead for Site C’s Reviewers
Utilities commissioners will need to get knee-deep in data. Can it really be done in 12 weeks? The last time Site C was fully reviewed by the BC Utilities Commission, it was 1983. The commission investigated for just over a year and ultimately concluded that Site C was unneeded and recommended BC Hydro begin investigating […]
Everything you want to know about the Site C dam — answered
It’s been two months since we promised to dive deep into the Site C dam and asked what you want to know about the megaproject. We’ve tackled the big questions: Is it past the point of no return? Why did the BC Liberal government block independent review of the project? We also looked at what First […]
Do We Even Need the Site C Dam?
Recent data suggests we don’t. Decreased load forecasts give us more time to consider less costly energy options. Do we need the $8.9-billion Site C dam? When we promised to dig deep into the megaproject and asked what you wanted to know, that was one of your big questions. And it’s an issue that’s been […]