This stretch of river valley is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Hydropower has environmentsl costs, including methane releases.
Site C: Unfortunately 4 Billion Dollars already committed by Liberals was too much to ignore
Wed, 2014-12-17 13:41
#102
Wed, 2014-12-17 13:48
#103
Site C Dam: Govt ignores own rules, faces multiple lawsuits
Even if the BC Liberal government decides today to approve the now $8.5 billion Site C dam, the project still faces some big legal hurdles – based on mistakes the government made following the environmental review process.
In a nutshell, Site C faces six lawsuits from three different groups – each bringing both provincial and federal challenges. The plaintiffs include Alberta First Nations, BC First Nations and the Peace Valley Landowners’ Association (PVLA). Each case boils down to two main issues that linger from the Joint Review Panel’s indecisive verdict on the project earlier this year.
The first issue is the fact that the need for the project has still not been demonstrated. The second is the lack of fiscal due diligence surrounding the project.
Rob Botterell, former Comptroller for TD Bank in BC and the lead lawyer representing the landowners, reminds taxpayers, “At $8.5 Billion+, this would be the largest public infrastructure expenditure in the history of the province – the equivalent of 19 fast ferries.”...
http://commonsensecanadian.ca/site-c-dam-govt-ignores-rules-faces-multip...
Wed, 2014-12-17 13:54
#104
Union of BC Indian Chiefs rejects Provincial decision regarding the controversial Site C Hydroelectric Dam
quote:
“This is an ill-advised and incredibly stupid decision the Province has made regarding the Site C Project. BC Hydro has failed to make its case in terms of future energy demands and have not adequately outlined an economic business case for construction and repayment of the most expensive capital project in the history of BC. Accordingly, the Site C proposal needs to be properly reviewed by the BC Utilities Commission prior to any approvals. Further to this, the dam, associated structures and rights-of-ways will run directly through the heart of Treaty 8 First Nations territories and will have devastating impacts on Treaty rights of Treaty 8 First Nations. The project will gravely impact the ability of Treaty 8 communities way of life in exercising their treaty-protected constitutionally-enshrined rights to hunt, fish, trap, and harvest across their lands,” stated Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs.
“The government has determined to move this project forward without Treaty 8 First Nations free, prior and informed consent. The impacts caused by this project will violate Treaty 8 First Nations fundamental human rights and their rights as Indigenous Peoples as recognized in United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as set out in Article 26(1) and 32(2) that Indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied, or otherwise used or acquired. The impacts this project will have on the environment, lands and resources will be deeply felt by all communities and represents environmental and cultural devastation for the Treaty 8 First Nations,” said Secretary-Treasurer of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Kukpi7 Judy Wilson....
http://westcoastnativenews.com/union-of-bc-indian-chiefs-rejects-provinc...
Fri, 2014-12-19 17:48
#105
AFN National Chief Calls for Free, Prior and Informed Consent in Site C Dam Hydro
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde today stated strong disapproval for the decision by the Government of British Columbia to go forward with the construction of BC Hydro’s Site C Dam project. “The dam does not make sense legally, environmentally or economically.” The dam would flood the Peace River Valley from Fort St. John to the existing Peace Canyon Dam west of Hudson’s Hope, as well as the mouths of the Halfway and Moberly Rivers. Treaty 8 First Nations, in particular, have expressed serious concerns that their lives, lands and traditions will be adversely affected by this project.
“This decision by the Government of British Columbia clearly goes against indigenous peoples’ right to free, prior and informed consent,” said National Chief Perry Bellegarde. “We stand with the Treaty 8 First Nations in pressing for regional environmental assessments to take into account the cumulative impacts of all projects in the Peace River Region. First Nations are not against development but we have the right to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to projects in our traditional territories. The Assembly of First Nations will continue to support all First Nations in upholding our rights in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Section 35 of Canada’s constitution which recognizes and affirms existing Aboriginal and treaty rights.”....
http://www.afn.ca/index.php/en/news-media/latest-news/afn-national-chief...
Fri, 2015-01-02 02:01
#106
Yes there should be full blown consultations with First Nations people if it infringes on their land, or yet to be settled land, but if the BC NDP want to win the next election, they need to unshackle themselves from their special interest groups, and get back to representing working people in the province. Their chances of winning are slim enough, if they keep this up, their chances will be zilch.
And hydroelectric power, a renewable resource is exactly what BC needs, and will continue to need, as we throw out the welcome mat for another million people headed our way.
Let's stop putting our collective heads in the sand in this beautiful province and start embarking on projects with a future.
Fri, 2015-01-02 12:34
#107
And hydroelectric power, a renewable resource is exactly what BC needs, and will continue to need, as we throw out the welcome mat for another million people headed our way.
Site C is not for BC. It's for oil & gas companies operating in NE BC and NW Alberta. Residential needs are predicted to remain flat due to increased energy efficiencies and more and more in-home and community energy solutions.
Site C also has nothing to do with guaranteeing energy security for BC. Gordon Campbell's restructuring of Hydro is about the exact opposite: ensuring markets to private energy suppliers.
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2013/09/02/BC-Hydro-Darkening-Future/
Let's stop putting our collective heads in the sand in this beautiful province and start embarking on projects with a future.
Yes, like solar, wind, and other promising options that await if we could just start tearing ourselves away from the dinosaur fuels industry.
Fri, 2015-01-02 13:03
#108
Water = dinosaur fuels. 
Fri, 2015-01-02 13:33
#109
Water = dinosaur fuels.
In this case, yes. Site C is for the oil and gas industry.
Fri, 2015-01-02 18:35
#110
Yes, like solar, wind, and other promising options that await if we could just start tearing ourselves away from the dinosaur fuels industry.
I agree with your sentiment. But life ain't always that easy. Wind power generation operates at only ~26% capacity factor (only produces energy 26% of the time). And solar in Canada has a capacity factor of about 8%.
Meanwhile hydro-electric dams provide firm electric power - all day long. Well, BC Hydro imports cheap electricity during low-use, night-time hours in order to permit the storage behind the dams to recharge. That's why Quebec Hydro, Manitoba Hydro, and BC Hydro provide the cheapest electricity rates in North America.
Even Manitoba Hydro is now embarking on an ambitious $30 billiob dam building/transmission line expansion for export to the U.S.
OTOH, Ontario's experiment with renewable such as solar, etc. has resulted in some of the highest electricty prices in N.A. It's a "Catch-22".
Fri, 2015-01-02 21:28
#111
I agree with your sentiment. But life ain't always that easy. Wind power generation operates at only ~26% capacity factor (only produces energy 26% of the time). And solar in Canada has a capacity factor of about 8%.
Meanwhile hydro-electric dams provide firm electric power - all day long. Well, BC Hydro imports cheap electricity during low-use, night-time hours in order to permit the storage behind the dams to recharge. That's why Quebec Hydro, Manitoba Hydro, and BC Hydro provide the cheapest electricity rates in North America.
1. BC Hydro is not the public utility that it used to be, and that Manitoba Hydro still is. Did you read the article I linked to? http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2013/09/02/BC-Hydro-Darkening-Future/
2. To repeat myself:
Site C is not for BC. It is for oil & gas companies operating in NE BC and NW Alberta. Residential needs are predicted to remain flat due to increased energy efficiencies and more and more in-home and community energy solutions.Site C has nothing to do with guaranteeing energy security for BC. Gordon Campbell's restructuring of Hydro is about the exact opposite: ensuring markets to private energy suppliers.
3. Technologies improve all the time. Think where we could be with our current green tech if we hadn't been so intent on huffing gas for the last 40 years. Sorry, but that argument is lame.
Sat, 2015-01-10 21:47
#112
Why Site C Dam isn’t a done deal
Damien Gillis and Kootenay Co-op Radio’s Keith Wiley discuss the hurdles still facing Site C Dam following the BC Liberal government’s approval of the project before Christmas. From 6 lawsuits to mounting financial challenges,
http://commonsensecanadian.ca/VIDEO-detail/site-c-dam-isnt-done-deal/
Sat, 2015-01-10 21:58
#113
The key is that Site C is a renewable resource and if we are not to fry our planet, and we are expecting 1,000,000 million new people in BC with their additional energy demands, we need energy sources like Site C.
Sun, 2015-01-11 13:50
#114
North Report, Site C is not for residential demand. It is for oil and gas.
[B]ased on BC Hydro’s own projections... new electricity demand is being driven almost entirely by new mines, shale gas fracking and liquid natural gas compression plants. These industrial users expect to use low-cost BC Hydro industrial rate power—about $40 per MWh. However, new electricity supply is costing BC Hydro, according to the last call for power, $124 per MWh.......electricity demand from the other two major customer classes, residential and commercial (small business and office buildings), is projected to fall slightly over the next few years, and planned efficiency and conservation measures are sufficient to keep new demand from population growth in check. There is no reason why residential and commercial rates need go up at all given BC’s historic supply of hydropower.
Instead, as BC Hydro documents make clear, new investments from the mining and oil and gas industries are driving up demand: a 17% increase by 2014, according to BC Hydro’s most recent Revenue Rate Application; and 51% over the next two decades (excluding
LNG), according to BC Hydro’s Integrated Resource Plan documents. If three LNG plants were to go ahead, the system-wide load would be almost double the 2011 load profile within 20 years.
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publication...
Sun, 2015-01-11 14:23
#115
..this deal sucks! there are so many bad reasons to be going forward with site c. the problems as gillis in #111 lays out very clearly are not being addressed in any rational way by politicos or corps.
..food security was talked about. if developed to capacity that prime farmland can feed a million people. why flood it? the debt incurred by this project has just gone up by a billion. this was announced by the libs just before xmas. plus the overruns are enormous..we have a history of cost doubling. this can only lead to more austerity.
..we are strong now and getting stronger. now is the time to press for a different path. peoples eyes seem to be wide open right now. nobody is going to buy superficial bullshit. the problems need to be addressed right fucking now. or there will be more resistance. people have no other choice and just going along is not an option.
edit to add a word.
Sat, 2015-01-31 00:23
#116
Hydroelectric power is renewable so still not sure what the fuss is all about. And of course the people whose land it is on will have to be negotiated with and compensated.
Why Divestment Warriors Should Diversify Their Strategy
Analysis shows that petro-divesting alone can't finance the needed energy transition.
In B.C., we have pursued policies that favour BC Hydro's agenda for building dams. An alternative approach that established a supportive electricity price for wind and solar resource development would not only favour other renewables, but would also support far greater energy conservation and the industries providing these services, reducing the need for further dam construction. Current regulations by the BC Utilities Commission do not encourage these approaches in B.C.
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/01/29/Divestment-Warriors-Should-Diversify/
Sat, 2015-01-31 10:59
#117
Sat, 2015-01-31 11:02
#118
Hydroelectric power is renewable so still not sure what the fuss is all about.
Yes, a renewable resource, in this case not needed by British Columbians, but built at enormous cost to them primarily to provide subsidized energy to the non-renewable, non-royalty paying, GHG-hemorraghing dinosaur fuels and fracking industry. And flooding out productive farmland and one of the most beautiful areas in BC in the process.
You still don't know what the fuss is about?
Sat, 2015-01-31 11:08
#119
BC is expecting another million people to move here. How are we going to provide for their their electrical or power requirements?
Sat, 2015-01-31 11:20
#120
Please read the article linked to in post #114, North Report. It answers all your questions.
And I'm not sure where you even get this "million people" figure.
Tue, 2015-02-03 14:31
#121
Recently one has been able to have a complete 5 kw off-grid solar system installed on the roof for under $20,000, and each additional 1, kw would cost about $840 plus tax plus $1,200 or so for extra storage batteries.
That figure has probably gone up a bit because of the slide of the Canadian dollar has affected the cost of Chinese-made pv panels.
Opting to install a grid-tied system would mean one doesn't need the battery storage bank, which will cost about $5,000.
So let's assume the average cost of both systems is still $20,000. A 5 Kw system is enough to power the average Canadian house.
That means the $9 Billion estimated cost of Site C could put full solar systems on about 450,000 rooftops.
I don't think we have 450,000 suitable rooftops in B.C.
However, there are locations around the province which could host solar farms, and we could also follow the Japanese lead and have some floating solar farms. say, behind some of the more southerly hydro dams...
We should also be working towards developing geothermal power, as promote by the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association: CanGea also opposes the Site C project.
https://www.cangea.ca/
Cheers,
Luminous Juju.
Tue, 2015-03-03 10:41
#122
Union takes BC Hydro to court over Site C labour model
But Tom Sigurdson, executive director of the B.C. and Yukon Territory Building and Construction Trades Council, said BC Hydro is jeopardizing the project by abandoning a labour-management model that has served the province well by ensuring no strikes and a well-organized supply of skilled workers.
“We were amazed – it was such a departure from the labour agreements we have had for decades,” he said Monday. “We told them we couldn’t make their project work under their proposed model.”
On Monday, his 35,000-member organization filed a civil suit in B.C. Supreme Court seeking to block BC Hydro’s “managed open site” plan on the grounds that it violates the federal Charter of Rights.
Starting with the W.A.C. Bennett dam on the Peace River in 1963, BC Hydro has built its major projects with a labour agreement that ensures no strikes and no lockouts. Non-union contractors can bid on the work, but they must use union labour.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/labour-group-object...
Tue, 2015-03-03 10:43
#123
Welcome to right-wing Reaganomics
Hydro heading for a fight with unions
The B.C. Building Trades Council has filed suit, claiming that the new arrangement that B.C. Hydro wants to use for the $8.8-billion Site C dam violates the constitutional right of workers to organize. Photograph By BC Hydro
http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/columnists/les-leyne-hydro-heading-...
Wed, 2015-03-04 13:22
#124
So BC Liberals relent on policy they forced on BC Hydro in the first place.
Clark intervenes in BC Hydro Site C labour dispute
Premier Christy Clark says BC Hydro went too far in its bid to curb union powers for the construction of Site C, the biggest public infrastructure project in the province’s history.
The council of building trade unions launched a lawsuit against BC Hydro on Monday, after almost a year of fruitless behind-the-scenes negotiations that included outreach to the Premier’s office.
That court action succeeded in getting her attention: Ms. Clark told reporters Tuesday she has instructed the Crown corporation’s chief executive officer, Jessica McDonald, to change the contract terms to allow unions to organize at the construction site.
The Premier’s intervention comes just weeks before bids are due to close on the first large contract for the $8.8-billion dam.
“I think BC Hydro took this a step too far,” Ms. Clark told reporters. “I’m going to get it fixed.”
The Premier said she took action once she learned of the lawsuit. “In the last 24 hours, I’ve spoken to ministers, and I’ve spoken to the CEO of Hydro, they agree with me on that. They are going to rework the proposal to withdraw that part of it because I believe [unions] should have the right to organize. They do have the right to organize, and BC Hydro can’t take that away.”
Starting with the W.A.C. Bennett dam on the Peace River in 1963, BC Hydro has built its major projects using labour agreements that ensured no strikes and no lockouts. Non-union contractors could bid on the work, but workers had to belong to one of the building trade unions.
Under the new model that Hydro intended to use for Site C, contractors would be able to bring in non-union workers and the unions would be prohibited from organizing those workers or trying to “poach” them to join unionized projects.
Tom Sigurdson, executive director of the B.C. and Yukon Territory Building and Construction Trades Council, welcomed the Premier’s intervention on Tuesday, but said the lawsuit won’t be withdrawn until the contract terms are rewritten.
“I’m grateful that we had her intervention,” he said in an interview. “We are not there yet. We have got to sit down with Hydro and have some meaningful dialogue.”
The unions were told last April that BC Hydro intended to adopt a new open-shop model for Site C. Mr. Sigurdson said his efforts to persuade the Premier’s office, ministers of cabinet and Hydro brass had achieved nothing, prompting the lawsuit.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/premier-clark-derai...
Thu, 2015-03-05 14:00
#125
Landmark Treaty 8 lawsuit challenges Site C Dam, LNG (video)
A sweeping lawsuit filed this week by the Blueberry River First Nations from northeast BC threatens the province’s resource agenda – including the proposed Site C Dam and shale gas and LNG development.
As a party to Treaty 8, the First Nation was guaranteed the right to continue practicing its traditional way of life on the land, but that promise has been repeatedly broken over the last century, the suit alleges. An time lapse map presented by the nation at a press conference in Vancouver yesterday graphically demonstrates how over 90% of critical watersheds have been heavily industrialized since 1950....
http://commonsensecanadian.ca/VIDEO-detail/landmark-treaty-8-lawsuit-cha...
Thu, 2015-03-12 15:22
#126
B.C. Government Should Have Deferred Site C Dam Decision, Says Chair of Joint Review Panel
In his first interview on the Site C dam, the chair of the federal-provincial panel appointed to review Canada's largest current infrastructure project said the B.C. government was unwise to green-light the project without a review by the B.C. Utilities Commission and would have been better off to delay the decision by a few years.
“There’s a whole bunch of unanswered questions, some of which would be markedly advanced by waiting three or four years,” Harry Swain told DeSmog Canada. “And you’d still be within the period of time, even by Hydro’s bullish forecasts, when you’re going to need the juice.”
Swain, a former deputy minister of Industry Canada and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, spoke to DeSmog Canada on his own behalf, not on behalf of the panel. In a wide-reaching interview, Swain also described the province’s failure to investigate alternatives to the dam as a “dereliction of duty.”....
http://www.desmog.ca/2015/03/10/exclusive-b-c-government-should-have-def...
Wed, 2015-04-22 19:53
#127
Site C opponents are having their day in court! The Peace Valley Landowner Association is in the B.C. Supreme Court Monday, April 20th, and the Treaty 8 court case against Site C opens on Thursday, April 23rd.
Please come and join a peaceful, respectful gathering to support them.
When: Thursday, April 23rd, 8:30 – 10: 00 a.m.
Where: On the steps of the BC Supreme Court in downtown Vancouver. The court address is 800 Smythe Street, and the steps are accessed off Hornby Street.
Fri, 2015-05-01 22:03
#128
..site c has damage implications that go beyond bc. this is made clear in the first minute of this outstanding video which was posted in the tar sands thread by lagatta.
Tar Sands Map Rap - Mike Mercredi & Lionel Lepine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEzp00bbFWs&spfreload=10#t=208
Sun, 2015-05-10 00:05
#129
..the feds and prov are vicious
Site C Dam: Crown strikes out with attempt to gut First Nation’s Judicial Review
The federal government struck out in court Friday in its attempt to gut key passages of the Treaty 8 Doig River First Nation’s Judicial Review into the environmental certificate for Site C Dam.
After 3 hours of arguments on the crown’s motion to strike, brought with the support of the province, the presiding Prothonotary Lafreniere not only threw out the government’s argument – which he called “a very rare request” – but ordered costs be paid to the First Nation plaintiff. The decision presents another legal roadblock to the $9 Billion dam, on which the BC Liberal government and proponent BC Hydro intended to break ground this summer. The federal judicial review is now slated to be heard in July, with the nation’s key argument of rights infringement by the dam fully before the court....
http://commonsensecanadian.ca/site-c-dam-crown-strikes-out-with-attempt-...
Sat, 2015-05-16 13:02
#130
This project is an alternative to fossil fuels - what's not to like about it?
Sun, 2015-05-17 09:54
#131
..this provides some answers to your question nr.
Justice for the Peace: Site C Dam goes to court (audio)
While the BC Liberal government and BC Hydro are vowing to break ground on the controversial $9 Billion Site C Dam this summer, the projects faces numerous legal challenges – one of which got a boost from the federal court recently. The Common Sense Canadian’s Damien Gillis discussed the issues with Ian Jessop on Victoria’s CFAX 1070 this past Monday.
http://commonsensecanadian.ca/VIDEO-detail/justice-for-the-peace-site-c-...
Sun, 2015-05-17 18:04
#132
from Richard Bullock...Site C is a sin against humanity
from North Report? Site C is an alternative to fossil fuels, what's not to like about it?!
...it's mystifying to me, that a so called progressive website would tolerate such racist nonsensical statements.....
what with the collapse of food securityin North America re the drought conditions of California, increasing poisoning of our industrial livestock meat industry ad nauseum. the total dependence of our western society on fossil fuels to provide our food security, build our corporate food infrastructure, not to mention the total racist violation of the international indigernous rights of the People in the courts to defend their territories from the destruction of these endless hydro dam projects to their cultural survival......
not to mention the so called political alternatives in support of such blatant violations...yes undoubtedly, it will be the NDP in power that will do this dirty work, the sins against humanity! Whew!
Tue, 2015-05-26 15:12
#133
..better to expand the farmland
Farmers Cut Back as Beleaguered California Hit by Water Loss
A day before California accepted voluntary water cutbacks by farmers, vandals targeting an inflatable dam in Fremont sent 50 million gallons of water meant for the city's residents flowing into the San Francisco Bay.
"This is a very significant loss of water under any circumstances, and more so in the drought conditions we are experiencing," Robert Shaver, the Alameda County water district general manager, told the Oakland Tribune on Thursday. "It is an utterly senseless, destructive, and wasteful thing to do."
According to the ACWD, the lost water could have supplied 500 homes for a year.
The loss is the latest setback for the state, which is in the midst of a historic four-year drought that has led to Governor Jerry Brown imposing mandatory water cutbacks on urban consumers for the first time ever.
Brown's order has gotten a lukewarm reception in the state—not for the loss of green lawns, but for its exemption of the agricultural industry, which consumes 80 percent of California's water....
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/05/24/farmers-cut-back-beleaguered...
Tue, 2015-05-26 22:14
#134
So what's the latest on the Site C?
Thu, 2015-05-28 19:38
#135
Site C labour deal promises labour stability for megaproject
During the peak of construction, the dam will need about 1,700 workers.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/site-c-labour-deal-promis...
Sat, 2015-06-13 20:28
#136
It’s Official: Site C Dam Could Power Fracking Operations in Northeast B.C.
The electricity created by the controversial Site C dam — long touted for producing enough electricity for 450,000 homes — could end up powering natural gas fracking operations in northeast B.C.
The Prince George Citizen reported on Wednesday that for the first time BC Hydro is considering Site C as a power source for its proposed Peace Region Electrical Supply project, a major transmission line project in northeast B.C.
If the Site C dam gets built (it’s currently facing several legal challenges) and BC Hydro moves forward with the proposed route for the transmission line, natural gas drillers between Dawson Creek and Chetwynd could plug directly into the grid.
The Citizen reports that Hydro expects the transmission project won’t be in service until 2022, making Site C — set for completion in 2025 — a viable option.
The subject of what Site C’s power is required for has spurred intense debate. Some have argued that the dam is needed to power B.C.’s proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants. However, a DeSmog Canada investigation last year indicated that was unlikely to be the case due to timing and transmission constraints.
This week’s news, however, indicates Site C’s power could be used to produce the gas the province plans to export via LNG plants.
“It’d always been in the back of the mind that Site C was possible, but until it got approved it wasn't something we were looking into in a great amount of detail,” BC Hydro spokesperson Lesley Wood told the Prince George Citizen....
http://www.desmog.ca/2015/06/12/it-s-official-site-c-dam-could-power-fra...
Sat, 2015-06-13 21:02
#137
Site C work camps already in motionCamps would hold 1,700 workers on as-yet-unapproved project
http://www.alaskahighwaynews.ca/regional-news/local-news/site-c-work-cam...
Sat, 2015-06-27 19:33
#138
Halt Site C construction until courts have ruled, First Nations demand
BC Hydro is intent on bulldozing ahead with Site C Dam construction in the coming weeks, despite seven different federal and provincial court cases currently in progress over the $9 Billion proposed project. That attitude is rubbing First Nations leaders the wrong way.
Hydro above the law?
The First Nations Leadership Council, comprised of the three big provincial First Nations bodies – the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, the First Nations Summit and the BC Assembly of First Nations – came out swinging Thursday in defence of the Treaty 8 First Nations whose land would be flooded by the dam.
“The provincial government seems to have tunnel vision when it comes to building this project. Pushing ahead with construction activities at this time is premature and dishonourable,” said Robert Phillips of the First Nations Summit political executive.
All citizens of BC should be deeply concerned; by denying the Treaty 8 First Nations their day in court, the government is making an outright statement that they are above democratic rights and the judicial system. This approach is unacceptable and an affront to the cultivation of constructive government-to-government relations between the provincial government and BC First Nations....
http://commonsensecanadian.ca/halt-site-c-construction-until-courts-have...
Wed, 2015-07-01 22:01
#139
- UN wants probe of oilsands’ impact on Canadian park
- UN also wants to review the effect of a proposed open-pit mine and the proposed Site C Dam in B.C.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/07/01/un-wants-probe-of-oilsands...
Wed, 2015-07-01 22:38
#140
It’s Official: Site C Dam Could Power Fracking Operations in Northeast B.C.
It's Official: Telephone Service Could Be Used For Harrasing Crank Phone Calls.
Thu, 2015-07-02 17:58
#141
...Halt Site C construction...until courts have ruled...
There's another potential explosive situation developing in BC, what with now 3 major Indigenous Nations preparing to declare their Territory, sacred! thereby expelling corporate projects...
is this a trend?
Can the Federal Government continue to watch on the sidelines as one major corporation after another gets shut down...Ajax, Tolko, etc....or will they have to kick in their C-51?...watch for the announcements!
Fri, 2015-07-03 14:30
#142
wrong thread
Tue, 2015-07-07 17:31
#143
Peaceful Paddle lands Site C opponents on terrorist watch list
The following letter was written by the Paddle for the Peace Planning Committee in response to an article in the Toronto Star which stated that events like the upcoming Paddle for the Peace (July 11th) were on terrorist watch lists.
Dear Editor,
According to the Toronto Star (March 30, 2015), the Federal government has included the Paddle for the Peace on a terrorist watch list. And here we thought we weren’t getting any attention. We are in good company, though. Also on the list is a physicians’ group opposed to child poverty, Mother Theresa, and a senior’s quilting group from Bugtussle, Saskatchewan. In an effort to save our government security agencies time, not to mention the Canadian taxpayers a great deal of money, we’d like to present a brief resume of some of the key players on the Paddle for the Peace planning committee. It is a rogues gallery indeed.
Retired primary school teacher Ruth Ann Darnell is the Chair of the Peace Valley Environment Association. She has been working to save the Peace Valley from Site C since the 1970s. Back then, Ruth Ann’s subversive activities were hampered by the fact the Internet was decades away from being created. After a long day of teaching five year olds to read, she just never had the time or energy to trudge down to the Fort St. John library to research DIY incendiary devices....
Tue, 2015-07-07 20:02
#144
Poll Shows B.C. Residents Support Site C Dam
A new poll shows that British Columbians strongly support the province’s Site C energy project, to be located in northeastern B.C.
The Abacus Data poll shows that 81 per cent of those polled either support building BC Hydro’s Site C Clean Energy Project, or 59 per cent can support itunder certain circumstances, while 17 per cent are opposed. The poll also found that province-wide awareness of the dam has increased significantly, with 75 per cent of British Columbians saying they are aware of the project, compared to just 41 per cent in 2013.
http://www.kelownanow.com/watercooler/news/news/Provincial/15/07/07/Poll...
Tue, 2015-07-07 20:04
#145
More than a quarter of people who live in the Peace River country, though, where the dam is to be built near Fort St. John, are categorically against it.
Hundreds of canoers and kayakers have planned a float-in Saturday on the Peace River to protest the project’s potential impact on the environment and agriculture.
The provincial government says six applications under the Mines and Heritage Conservation Act are still pending decisions, and further consultation with First Nations will happen through September.
http://www.news1130.com/2015/07/07/majority-of-british-columbians-suppor...
Fri, 2015-07-17 09:25
#146
man in Dawson Creek was shot and killed last night at the last BC Hydro public consultation on Site C.
Fri, 2015-07-17 12:49
#147
..txs quizzical. here's the story.
Fatal police shooting in Dawson Creek under investigation
The province's police watchdog has been called to Dawson Creek, B.C., after a confrontation with RCMP officers left one man dead.
The Independent Investigations Office spokeswoman Kellie Kilpatrick said the shooting happened at an open house sponsored by B.C. Hydro for the Site C dam project on Thursday evening.
RCMP said around 6:30 p.m., officers responded to a report that a man was disrupting the event and allegedly damaging property in the 500-block of Highway 2.
Police said when they arrived, they found a masked man outside the venue who was thought to be connected to the complaint.
RCMP said in a statement that efforts to de-escalate the situation were unsuccessful and the man was shot during a confrontation....
Fri, 2015-07-17 13:26
#148
...The Prince George Citizen reported on Wednesday that for the first time BC Hydro is considering Site C as a power source for its proposed Peace Region Electrical Supply project, a major transmission line project in northeast B.C.
This is not true. Hydro's projections for residential demand five? seven? years ago saw it flattening due to increased energy efficiencies and new (private) sources coming online. They have always talked about the increase in demand coming from industry, and particularly oil and gas.
http://commonsensecanadian.ca/bc-hydro-30-billion-blind-gamble-ipp-site-...
Another article demonstrates the shell game going on between Hydro and the BC government:
https://www.biv.com/article/2015/2/math-error-underestimates-demand-site...
Fri, 2015-07-17 13:52
#149
..yes i agree jas that the prince george report is wrong. this was not the 1st time hydro considered using site c to power the lng industry. it may be though the first time they admit it publicly.
Fri, 2015-07-17 16:43
#150
A man was murdered for wearing a mask to a demonstration. The article seems to be saying he was not related in any way to the disturbance or property damage that first drew the RCMP to the scene. I guess he didn't comply fast enough when the RCMP demanded that he assume a obedient posture. Stasi/KGB/SS used to act the same way.
After all its not like citizens have any right to challenge the absolute authority of the police. It doesn't matter what they tell you to do you have to comply or they view your refusal as a breach of the peace. If they tell someone to do something more than once and the person refusing is showing any emotion then the refusal is now seen as a threat to the officer's personal safety and thus the use of deadly force to protect themselves is justified. In BC the racist instructor at the Justice Institute teaches that very thing. For laughs the instructor and his students liked to go out and kick the shit out of "brown" people until it ws caught on video.
There is a reason why newly installed police state governments, like Haiti and the Ukraine, like to have the RCMP train their officers.
Fri, 2015-07-17 18:33
#151
puts a chill on public dissent.