Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons says the NDP government was facing a choice of “two untenable options” on the Site C project, and calls it one of the “hardest discussions that we’ve had [as a caucus].”
Premier John Horgan announced Monday that his government would see the controversial project through to completion. He said cancelling the mega-dam would have “put British Columbians on the hook for an immediate and unavoidable $4-billion bill – with nothing in return – resulting in rate hikes or reduced funds for schools, hospitals and important infrastructure.”
“The old government recklessly pushed Site C past the point of no return, committing billions of dollars to this project without appropriate planning and oversight. Our job now is to make the best of a bad deal and do everything possible to turn Site C into a positive contributor to our energy future,” Horgan said.
According to the government’s numbers, there would be $3.9 billion in debt ($2.1 billion for costs to date, and $1.8 billion for remediation) that would have to be paid off regardless.
The government also said it plans to ensure the project is on time and on budget, based on BC Hydro’s revised budget of $10.7 billion.
Simons, who describes himself as one of the NDP MLAs most opposed to the project, said he understands the reasoning behind the decision but says it isn’t the one he’d have made.
“I’m saddened by it on a number of levels,” Simons said. “I became resigned to it when the arguments were being made as to what [cancellation] would cost to British Columbians. I’m also a bit upset at the previous government’s decisions that were really contrary to the public interest.”
That said, Simons told Coast Reporter he’s not going to split with the party over Site C.
“I realize parties have to make decisions and you can’t always get what you want. This is not the outcome I wanted, but there are outcomes this government has produced [on other issues] that I have wanted, and I think there are going to be far more of those as we go along.”
Kim Darwin, who ran for the Greens in Powell River-Sunshine Coast during the last election and sits on the party’s Provincial Council, said she’s also disappointed, but not surprised.
Darwin said the recent BC Utilities Commission review and independent analysis from researchers at the University of British Columbia suggested the benefits of cancelling Site C outweighed the costs.
“I don’t understand the rationale,” Darwin said. “It’s going to absolutely kill [alterative power] industries for decades. For the foreseeable future we will not have solar, wind, geo-thermal, or tidal energy sectors here in B.C. For that I am really, really sad.”
The BC Liberal caucus released a statement from Peace River South MLA Mike Bernier. “The NDP created another needless review that threatened more than 2,000 jobs, solely for political reasons – to ensure the Greens continue to prop up the NDP government,” Bernier said. “[This] is a great day for the First Nations, communities and businesses that depend on Site C to make a living to support themselves and their families.”
The government said it’s taking a different approach than the Clark Liberals.
The Monday announcement included: a new Project Assurance Board for enhanced oversight; community benefits programs to make sure the project benefits local communities, and more apprentices and First Nations workers are hired; a Food Security Fund using Site C revenues; steps to ensure the Peace River Legacy Fund deals with longer-term environmental, social and economic issues; and activation of the $20-million agricultural compensation fund to offset lost sales and stimulate long-term productivity enhancements in Peace Valley agriculture.
Simons said he supports the moves as a way to make a bad situation better. “In and of themselves, I’m glad there’ll be some investment in agriculture and such, but at the heart of it, I’m concerned about First Nation relations. I’m concerned about agricultural options for future generations.”
Darwin said she believes that even though the Greens won’t try to bring down the government over the Site C decision, there will be political fallout. “It is going to fracture the NDP’s support,” she said.
Simons said the Greens also have some political questions to face. “[Andrew] Weaver was at the [2010] announcement where the plan went ahead. The First Nations issues existed then. The wildlife issues existed then. The agricultural issues existed then. The heritage issues existed then,” Simons said. “He’s taking full political advantage, but he had the capability of exerting more influence than he chose to.”
The Sierra Club and David Suzuki Foundation were quick to condemn the decision, and the West Moberly First Nation and Prophet River First Nation announced Monday they plan to seek a court injunction to halt construction and launch civil action for treaty infringement.
The BC Chamber of Commerce reaffirmed its long-standing support of Site C. A group called Move Up, that says it represents about 12,000 union members at public and private sector companies in Western Canada, also praised the government’s decision.
