Dam Desperation: Clark's Site C Gambit
compiled by Ken Boon - PVLA
June 7, 2017
Responding to Clark’s letter of response with a letter of his own, Weaver accused the Liberal government of proceeding with “the costliest public works project in B.C. history without adequately analysing its economic viability.”
“Your government is turning a significant capital project that potentially poses massive economic risks to British Columbians, into a political debate rather than one informed by evidence and supported by independent analysis,” the Green leader wrote.
Weaver asked Clark for supporting evidence to her claims that delaying the relocation of two homes would cost B.C. Hydro ratepayers an estimated $600 million.
http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/christy-clark-letter-fires-back-at-b-c-ndp-and-green-position-on-site-c
The man who chaired the original Site C review says the Premier’s claim of a delay costing $600-million is “preposterous.”
As far as leaving the landowners where they are, Dr. Harry Swain says the road could go elsewhere.
As for the claim of the project nearing the point of no return, he says determining that requires information that’s not been made public.
“It depends on the wording of contracts, which have been kept confidential nobody knows, outside of BC Hydro, I suppose the Premier’s office, just what contracts have been and what kind of break clauses they may contain.”
Swain maintains, as he has for some time, that ending construction would be a good idea.
He says we don’t need it, there is no demand for the power, and when we do need power there are much cheaper ways to produce it.
http://www.cknw.com/2017/06/06/b-c-premier-pens-letter-warning-against-site-c-delays
He said the full BCUC review would take three months, but he would seek an “interim report” from the commission within six weeks.
Green party Leader Andrew Weaver said the promised six-week turnaround was enough to convince him to prop up a Horgan-led minority government, and the NDP-Green alliance is expected to topple Clark’s Liberals when the legislature resumes sitting this month.
http://theprovince.com/news/bc-politics/mike-smyth-would-horgan-and-weaver-really-fire-2200-site-c-workers
However, only 648 of those workers were Peace River Regional District primary residents, which works out to 36%. Since February, when there were 749 PRRD residents employed as contractors, that number has fallen by 101 in the span of two months.
https://energeticcity.ca/2017/06/site-c-employment-statistics-show-drop-local-workers-two-straight-months/
Peace Valley Landowner Assoc.
Ken Boon, President
SS#2, Site 12, Comp 19
Fort St. John, BC V1J 4M7
Email address: pvla@xplornet.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/peacevalleylandownerassoc
Website: http://www.peacevalleyland.com/
War of words breaks out over Clark letter to NDP, Greens over costs of Site C delays
by Stephanie Ip - Vancouver Sun
June 6, 2017
Premier Christy Clark has given the B.C. NDP and the B.C. Greens four days to decide whether or not they’ll request the government to issue a “tools down” order to workers and halt the construction of the $9-billion Site C dam.
That June 10 deadline came in a pair of nearly identical letters sent by Clark to NDP Leader John Horgan and Green Leader Andrew Weaver to defend her party’s decision to approve the project and to warn of what she suggests could be a $600-million, one-year delay in the project’s timeline.
Clark’s letter follows one sent by Horgan last week to Jessica McDonald, head of B.C. Hydro. In his letter, Horgan had put forward a request for the Crown corporation to hold off on finalizing any deals without a penalty-free cancellation clause.
Both Horgan and Weaver have opposed the Site C project, and it was one of several issues that brought together the two parties when striking a four-year power-sharing deal.
The Site C dam site is seen along the Peace River in Fort St. John on April 18. JONATHAN HAYWARD / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Construction on the project would continue while a proposed B.C. Utilities Commission review of the project is underway, Horgan has suggested. However, Clark’s letter notes the project will likely “progress past the ‘point of no return'” before such a review is completed.
Clark’s letter to Horgan begins: “I appreciate being copied on your correspondence to B.C. Hydro CEO Jessica McDonald with respect to current and future planned activities on the Site C Clean Energy Project in Northeast British Columbia.”
“The construction and completion of Site C represents a generational opportunity to provide British Columbia with another stable, long-term asset that can provide electricity for the next 100 years and further reduce B.C.’s greenhouse gas emissions,” she writes.
Clark goes on to detail how a “project of this size and scale” must stick to a strict timeline or risk a $600-million one-year delay.
At issue is the relocation of two homes that allow for scheduled road and bridge construction that will enable river diversion to begin in the fall of September 2019, when water levels are at their lowest. Any delay, according to Clark, would mean river diversion would have to wait for the next low-flow period in September 2020.
Related: NDP Leader John Horgan calls on BC Hydro not to finalize Site C contracts
“As such, I wish to inform you that the requests contained in your letter are not without consequences to the construction schedule and ultimately have financial ramifications to ratepayers,” the letter continues.
Clark also notes the decision on whether or not to proceed would be needed by June 15 to keep the project on track.
“Given the above information and the short timeframe in which to decide how to proceed, I am seeking the opinions of you and Mr. Weaver no later than June 10th.”
Clark’s letter ends by asking both Horgan and Weaver to respond with specific responses on whether or not the pair will continue to push for a delay on the relocation of the two homes, and whether or not they want government to issue a “tools down” order to the more than 2,000 workers currently building the Site C dam.
The NDP replied later in the afternoon but sent two letters, an “administrative error” they later claimed. The first version was shorter and uses more combative language. Later, a longer, but somewhat less confrontational letter was sent to Clark, as well as to the media. The NDP said they asked Clark’s office to ignore the first version of the letter, which was leaked to the media.
Apparently there are 2 letters from @jjhorgan to @christyclarkbc on Site C – the one he actually sent her, and a revised one NDP made public pic.twitter.com/Srod0GxmQ3
— Rob Shaw (@robshaw_vansun) June 6, 2017
Horgan replied initially with a short letter, saying he “was surprised to receive your response to my letter to the CEO of B.C. Hydro.“Given your record of mis-statements and errors, it is impossible to trust anything you say regarding the Site C project schedules and cost. We will not allow British Columbians to be hit with higher Hydro rates due to your mismanagement of this project. Our request stands.”
Horgan ended by saying the NDP stood by its commitment for an independent review “to determine if it is in the best interests of British Columbians.”
In the second version, Horgan expressed “surprise” — as he did in the first version — before saying said Clark made “unsupported claims” in her letter to Horgan “about additional costs associated with asking B.C. Hydro not to sign major contracts until a new government takes office.”
He then went on to say British Columbians’ Hydro bills had gone up 87 per cent under the Liberals. He said the requests about Hydro holding off from signing new contracts in his letter last week were “because I will not allow British Columbians to be hit with even higher Hydro rates due to your mismanagement of this project.”
Like in the first version, Horgan said he stood by his commitment to an independent review. He finished the second version by proposing Clark recall the legislature immediately to face a confidence vote “if you are truly concerned about this timeline.”
Responding to Clark’s letter of response with a letter of his own, Weaver accused the Liberal government of proceeding with “the costliest public works project in B.C. history without adequately analysing its economic viability.”“Your government is turning a significant capital project that potentially poses massive economic risks to British Columbians, into a political debate rather than one informed by evidence and supported by independent analysis,” the Green leader wrote.
Weaver asked Clark for supporting evidence to her claims that delaying the relocation of two homes would cost B.C. Hydro ratepayers an estimated $600 million.
— with files from Scott Brown and Patrick Johnston
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