{"id":42428,"date":"2021-02-26T19:06:34","date_gmt":"2021-02-27T00:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/?p=42428"},"modified":"2021-02-26T19:06:34","modified_gmt":"2021-02-27T00:06:34","slug":"bc-pushes-ahead-with-controversial-dam-project-over-objections-by-former-regulators-and-first-nations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/bc-pushes-ahead-with-controversial-dam-project-over-objections-by-former-regulators-and-first-nations\/","title":{"rendered":"BC pushes ahead with controversial dam project, over objections by former regulators and first nations."},"content":{"rendered":"

The controversial Site C hydroelectric project is a go.\u00a0 The provincial government says it will cost double the original estimate, or $16 billion dollars to complete.\u00a0 But, it says killing the project would be too big a blow to BC's economy.\u00a0 Officials say cancelling it would cost $10 billion dollars, leading to a 26 per cent hydro rate increase that would begin immediately, whereas going ahead with the project would lead to a 14 and a half per cent increase that wouldn't begin until 2025.\u00a0 BC Green Party leader Sonya Furstenau questions those figures.<\/p>\n\n

Meanwhile, a review by a former BC deputy minister of finance concluded there were problems with the way BC Hydro managed the project, but the government says Peter Milburn's 17 recommendations are being implemented...including replacing the chair of BC Hydro.\u00a0 Premier John Horgan downplayed concerns about the safety of the dam, which is an unproven design being built on unstable shale rock in an earthquake zone.\u00a0 Horgan says a technical review has deemed it safe, and those advisors will be retained for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/clip-HORGAN-go-site-c.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

The government has said nothing about the demand for hydro power.\u00a0 Domestic demand\u00a0 has not increased in BC in more than a decade and the former Chair of the Review Panel into Site C, Harry Swain, says the revenues projected amount to between one quarter and one third the cost of the project.\u00a0 The West Moberly First Nations says the government decision has been made without any attempt at consultation with those most affected by it.\u00a0 Chief Roland Willson says his nation is not convinced the project is safe.\u00a0 The nation is taking the province to court over the issue, saying it violates Treaty 8, which Willson says \"promises the right to hunt, fish, trap and carry out our traditional lifestyle free from 'forced interference.'\"<\/p>\n

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The controversial Site C hydroelectric project is a go.\u00a0 The provincial government says it will cost double the original estimate, or $16 billion dollars to complete.\u00a0 But, it says killing the project would be too big a blow to BC’s economy.\u00a0 Officials say cancelling it would cost $10 billion dollars, leading to a 26 per…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":42437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[217,225],"tags":[5300,488,6598,1443,6597],"radio":[240],"origine":[280,265,231],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42428"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42428"},{"taxonomy":"radio","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/radio?post=42428"},{"taxonomy":"origine","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/origine?post=42428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}