The provincial government will make a decision whether to build the Site C dam on British Columbia's Peace River this month.
What's in it for the people of the Cariboo for them to say no?
The Federal-Provincial Joint Review Panel (JRP) conducted an environmental assessment of the highly controversial $8-billion -dollar project last winter. After 30 days of hearings, the JRP found that BC Hydro had failed to prove B.C. needs the electricity.
The JRP also found alternatives to Site C were not adequately explored. This is where the Cariboo region comes in.
BC Hydro's transmission lines and the major pipeline carrying natural gas from the northeast to southern B.C. converge in the vicinity of Clinton. B.C. doesn't need the electricity now, but if we ever do, we could build a natural gas generation plant in this area for a fraction of cost of Site C.
That would create construction jobs for the people in the Interior without them having to pack up and go live in a camp in Fort St. John.
Meanwhile, we could avoid spending $8 billion on a dam we don't need and save our money for things we do need.
The JRP found that BC Hydro would lose $800 million in the first four years of operation of Site C – that’s $800 million we can't spend on hip replacements and teachers for the citizens of the Cariboo.
Diane Culling
Fort St. John