Editor:
In your Jan. 2 edition, you published two letters in support of Site C, authored by residents of the Lower Mainland.
The second was from a spokesperson for BC Citizens for Green Energy, a well-known “astroturf” group connected to the BC Liberal Party. Both letters are light on facts and both simplify highly complex issues by ignoring everything from cost to the loss of farmland.
The true purpose of the BCCGE letter is demonstrated by the fact the author uses half the words to attack an NDP policy of nearly two decades ago while remaining silent on how the Liberals did the same thing (cap Hydro rates) before the last election.
If you consider one part of the issue, the cost, people should be very nervous.
The estimated Site C cost for most of last year was $7.9 billion — until Premier Clark went to New York to tell Wall Street it was $8.6 billion. The record of this government in estimating costs on large projects is dismal.
We are all aware of the extreme over-runs on the Convention Centre and BC Place roof. Less well known is the fact that the South Fraser Perimeter Road and Port Mann Bridge cost 90 per cent more than original estimates. Hydro itself found that the actual cost of its Northwest Transmission Line ($400 million) ended up north of $700 million.
Imagine what could be accomplished in geothermal, wind, solar and tide power, not to mention building retrofits, if we made a public investment of $8.5 billion? Now if there was only a way to take over those pesky contracts for private power that are driving Hydro rates through the roof.
Paul Johnston, Roberts Creek
