Rally held in Vancouver against Site C
Posted September 23, 2017 1:45 pm.
Last Updated September 23, 2017 4:49 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Environmentalists and concerned community members gathered in Downtown Vancouver today to voice their opposition to the controversial Site C Dam. They rallied outside where a public hearing on the project is being held.
Gordon August is here speaking out against Site C. He says there’s just no need for the dam, & says it’ll do more harm than good @NEWS1130 pic.twitter.com/H7Zv7wFkjs
— Hana Mae N. Nassar (@HanaMaeNassar) September 23, 2017
Organizer Ariel Martz-Oberlander says her group called “Fight C,” and others have been fighting for years so the public can have its say. She adds it would cost billions of taxpayer dollars. “And as someone who is struggling to afford to live in the Lower Mainland, that’s a big concern for me.”
Martz-Oberlander adds Site C also violates the basic rights of First Nations and jeopardizes agricultural land and food security. She also believes the technology behind Site C is outdated and feels there are more environmentally-friendly and cost-effective projects that would benefit the province more.
However, other groups feel cancelling the project now would cost BC badly needed jobs.
Labour leader David Black with Move Up, the Movement of United Professionals, signed up to speak in favour of the project. He warns cancelling the project now will leave his members in the lurch. “These people need to be looked after, regardless. If the project is in fact cancelled, we can’t forget the workers who’ve moved and made the sacrifice for the rest of the us for rely on the electricity system. They should be taken care of.”
Earlier this month, the BC Utilities Commission released a preliminary report on the project but it left some questions unanswered. In the report, a panel says it doesn’t have enough evidence to say the project is within its budget right now. But it adds if the project is delayed past 2019, it will certainly be over the $8.3 billion pegged for it.
The report says the final cost to shut down the project entirely would be $2.1 billion, however, the BCUC says it needs a lot more information before issuing its verdict on the project. The full report is due on November 1st.
