What We Know About the Massive Hydroelectric Dam BC Just Approved

If you take a look at British Columbia Premier John Horgan’s Twitter mentions this afternoon, you’re going to see a lot of “nauseated,” “betrayed,” “disappointed,” and “outraged.” That’s because the left-leaning NDP leader just approved a massive $10.7 billion hydroelectric project that has faced decades of opposition from First Nations and environmentalists.

"At the end of the day, we've come to a conclusion that, although Site C is not the project we would have favoured or would have started, it must be completed," Horgan told media Monday.

The Site C dam will become the largest infrastructure project in BC’s history, producing enough electricity to power 450,000 homes when it is completed. Construction began near Fort St. John under BC Liberal Premier Christy Clark, who positioned it as a “clean” energy alternative essential to meeting long-term climate change goals.

Critics say the project is too expensive, that BC doesn’t need the power, that First Nations’ rights to hunting and fishing in the area will be violated, and that downstream communities in Alberta have not been properly consulted. Opponents have also argued the project will flood thousands of acres of productive farmland and risk releasing harmful methylmercury into the environment.

The NDP promised to have BC’s Utilities Commission review the project during the province’s election in May—a move many supporters interpreted as a commitment to do whatever it takes to stop Site C. The results of that review found it was over budget, behind schedule, and that alternatives like geothermal and wind could end up cheaper. The review did not make any determination about First Nations’ rights to the land.

Though the project has already faced many legal challenges, two First Nations are gearing up for a new lawsuit following the announcement. West Moberly and Prophet River are seeking a court injunction to halt construction of the project, and say they’ll be suing the government for treaty infringement.

“It was John Horgan’s NDP that demanded a Site C inquiry by the BC Utilities Commission, and the results they received from it were clear: no need for the power, better alternatives once we do, and no advantage to ratepayers to proceed,” West Moberly Chief Roland Willson said in a press release. “With those findings, the only responsible choice was to immediately stop destroying the Peace River valley.”

In the release announcing their civil suit, West Moberly and Prophet River nations foregrounded feelings of betrayal. In 2014, before he headed a tenuous minority government propped up by the Green party, Horgan questioned whether the dam was constitutional.

“The fundamental issue is First Nations in the region have entrenched constitutional rights,” he said in a video interview. “Not just the requirement for consultation and accommodation, which we always hear about when we’re talking about resource projects. But they have entrenched constitutional rights to practice hunting and fishing as before. And that’s going to be violated by this dam.”

In the final weeks before the decision, Horgan sent ministers up to Treaty 8 territories for last-minute consultations, but ultimately determined the project was too far along.

In his announcement, Horgan highlighted the cost of stopping the dam. He said cancelling would immediately cost his government $4 billion, resulting in a 12 percent hydro rate hike by 2020. Horgan said those costs would cut into funding for schools, bridges and other infrastructure. Supporters have said killing the project will cost 2,000 jobs, though opponents have questioned those figures.

BC Green Leader Andrew Weaver called Horgan’s rationale “incredibly cynical,” adding the government’s decision to cancel bridge tolls also added billions to public debt. “Today, Site C is no longer simply a BC Liberal boondoggle—it has now become the NDP’s project,” Weaver said in a media release slamming the decision.

Weaver also drew comparisons to the controversial Muskrat Falls project in Newfoundland, expressing concern that hydro rates could nearly double.

Though Weaver has told media the decision would not affect the NDP-Green confidence agreement, he blasted several NDP politicians who made promises to stop the dam, and even suggested a recall in one riding.

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