BC Hydro former president among 18 prominent Canadians urging government to halt Site C work
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VANCOUVER—A former president of BC Hydro and a former federal fisheries minister are among 18 prominent Canadians urging the provincial government to halt work on a huge hydroelectric project in northeastern B.C.
The letter signed by former Hydro president Marc Eliesen, former fisheries minister David Anderson, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and others says construction of the Site C dam must stop while geotechnical problems are explored.
They say an independent team of experts should determine if the problems can be resolved and at what cost. Further construction of the dam across the Peace River near Fort St. John requires diversion of the waterway, which the letter argues could be a “costly and potentially catastrophic mistake.”
Those signing the letter urge Premier John Horgan to appoint an independent panel to assess geotechnical issues at Site C and to release those findings before making a decision about the future of the dam. At a provincial election campaign event, Horgan said diversion of the river was needed to meet the project’s timelines and to stay on budget.
