An artist's rendering of the proposed Site C dam on the Peace River. The project received formal provincial government approval last week, but the Dene Nation remains concerned the full downstream effects of the proposed dam are not yet understood. - graphic courtesy B.C. Government |
Site C gets provincial nod
First Nations court challenges against mega dam may follow
Walter Strong
Northern News Services
Published Monday, December 22, 2014
PEACE RIVER WATERSHED
The B.C. government formally approved the Site C dam mega project last week. The project comes with a new price tag of up to $8.8 billion.
Initially projected to cost $7.9 billion in 2010, the controversial project has seen resistance from First Nations, as well as environmental and land owner groups.
The dam would be the third on the Peace River. The 1,100-megawatt facility would generate 5,100 gigawatt hours of electricity each year, enough to power approximately 450,000 homes.
"Site C is essential to keeping the lights on while maintaining low rates for our customers," stated BC Hydro President and CEO Jessica McDonald in a press release.
The project's environmental impact begins with the flooding of more than 80 km (5,557 hectares) of land in the Peace River Valley, including First Nation traditional territories.
First Nations groups, including Dene Nation, are concerned the impacts will reach beyond those considered by the province of B.C. in its environmental assessment of the project, which concluded in the project's favor on Oct. 14.
The Globe and Mail reports that some First Nations in B.C. are preparing legal challenges to any work permits that may now follow from formal project approval by the B.C. government. The newspaper reports that West Moberly First Nations has been joined by Doig River First Nation, Prophet River First Nation and the McLeod Lake Indian Band in a court challenge of the project.
Dene Nation Chief Bill Erasmus has already said the Dene Nation, as a signatory to Treaty 8, would challenge a class action lawsuit to prevent the construction of the dam, at least until its downstream effects are better understood.
"Legally, all people downstream are supposed to be involved," Erasmus said when the project received environmental approval. "Especially because this is in a treaty area."
Erasmus's concerns surround possible effects on water levels along the Mackenzie watershed.
"We know the waters are tremendously low," Erasmus said.
"If you build another dam that's going to affect us down here."
When the project received federal environmental approval (also on Oct. 14) a spokesperson for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency said the agency had consulted with the "29 potentially affected aboriginal groups located throughout the Peace River drainage in northeast B.C. and downstream into northern Alberta, and the Slave River drainage in the Northwest Territories."
The proposed Site C dam would be about 10 km southwest of Fort St. John, B.C., at the mouth of the Moberly River where it meets the Peace River. It would create a large reservoir between the dam and the District of Hudson's Hope to the east.
