Site C Dam Announcement

Site C Given Green Light

The B.C. government announced they will complete the Site C dam at a press conference Monday morning, revealing a new estimated cost of the project at $10.7 billion. The decision was made with the full approval of cabinet, reporters were told at a technical briefing at the B.C. Legislature.

“This has been a difficult decision,” Premier John Horgan said. “I’ve talked to many British Columbians and I can say this is a very divisive issue. We have not taken this decision lightly.”

The government said they took the British Columbia Utilities Commission review of the project into consideration as they made their final decision, finding project completion was a more favourable decision over termination when considered from a ratepayer perspective.

Other Site C news happening today: Amnesty International says coming relocations are a human rights violation and two First Nations are asking for an injunction while they prepare a civil suit

Criteria for the decision included ratepayer impacts, fiscal risk, First Nations rights, carbon emissions and agriculture/food security.

At an early morning press conference, Rob Botterell, counsel for the Peace Valley Landowners Association said, “the NDP Site C review process turned out to be a sham.”

“The era of decision making in backrooms is over; this is the 21st century.”

Botterell added that his clients are not planning to accept the decision without a fight.

“My clients will never surrender the Peace Valley over such a flawed process,” he said. “My clients will continue to use every tool within Canadian law to prevent Site C from proceeding.”

Other landowner groups also attended the press conference to express their disapproval.

“The government turned a deaf ear to the BCUC findings, and worked to undermine the independent regulator’s findings,”  Dr. Steve Gray, Chair, Peace Valley Solidarity Initiative, said. “If this is a decision based on the need to take climate action, Site C is the most expensive and environmentally destructive way to get there.”

Green Party leader Andrew Weaver, the support of whose caucus is essential to keeping the NDP government in power, has expressed his disagreement with the decision. In a tweet, Weaver suggested that Energy and Mines minister Michelle Mungall should be recalled by her constituents.

At the press conference, Horgan said he does not believe that disagreement will affect the long-term viability of the government. Horgan added that he does not believe he will lose members of his own caucus over the decision either.

In a follow up press briefing, BC Liberal MLA Mike Bernier for Peace River South stated, “It’s unfortunate we had to wait six months for what was the obvious choice.”

Bernier said the B.C. government considered information the BC Liberals had and realized the previous government had made the right decision regarding Site C.

Updates are coming. Follow our coverage here, and live on Twitter.

It was a chilly winter day...
when news broke that photojournalist Amber Bracken had been arrested by the RCMP while reporting for The Narwhal from Wet’suwet’en territory in northwestern B.C.

“Soon they would put me in handcuffs and take my cameras from me,” Amber said. “After that they would take my rights.”

As a small, non-profit news organization, we didn’t want to take one of the most powerful organizations in our country to court. Ultimately, we realized we had no other choice — because an absence of journalism leaves us all in the dark.

We wouldn’t be able to take this stand for press freedom — or send journalists like Amber to cover critically important environmental stories — without the ongoing support of thousands of members like you who make The Narwhal possible.
It was a chilly winter day...
when news broke that photojournalist Amber Bracken had been arrested by the RCMP while reporting for The Narwhal from Wet’suwet’en territory in northwestern B.C.

“Soon they would put me in handcuffs and take my cameras from me,” Amber said. “After that they would take my rights.”

As a small, non-profit news organization, we didn’t want to take one of the most powerful organizations in our country to court. Ultimately, we realized we had no other choice — because an absence of journalism leaves us all in the dark.

We wouldn’t be able to take this stand for press freedom — or send journalists like Amber to cover critically important environmental stories — without the ongoing support of thousands of members like you who make The Narwhal possible.

How the Ontario government muzzled its Greenbelt Council

Over the past two years, the Ontario government moved to muzzle the council that advises it about the Greenbelt as it shuffled its work behind...

Continue reading

Recent Posts

Our members make The Narwhal’s ad-free, independent journalism possible. Will you join the pod?
Help power our ad-free, independent journalism
Stand up for press freedom
Journalism is not a crime. The Narwhal and photojournalist Amber Bracken are suing the RCMP to fight for the right to report freely. Walk with us by signing up for our weekly newsletter today.
Stand up for press freedom
Journalism is not a crime. The Narwhal and photojournalist Amber Bracken are suing the RCMP to fight for the right to report freely. Walk with us by signing up for our weekly newsletter today.