He needs a legal decision to decide weather he could shut down non essential inter provincial travel during the Covid crisis between Alta and BC when he can use emergency power. There is only one turbine runner being transported to the site at a time and the . As of July this year, more than 4,600 workers were employed on the Site C hydroelectric dam project, according to BC Hydro, about 3,400 of whom were British Columbians. Hydro's Site C dam project on the Peace River near Fort St. John in August. News Release January 18, 2021. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. ], […] suffers from financial and technical problems. Under a provincial state of emergency declaration, restaurants, bars, hair salons and tattoo parlours have been ordered shut down. BC Hydro says it has committed to not move any Site C worker in self-isolation at camp into the city. Kukpi7 Judy Wilson, UBCIC Secretary-Treasurer, concluded, “Site C isn’t a dam, it’s a money pit. to shut down work camps or risk further community spread with northern hospitals already stretched thin. "[If] there was an outbreak at Site C, our hospital would be inundated with patients that we could not handle, that our health system couldn't handle, with the seven ventilators that we have in the community," said Coun. Indian Chiefs also asked for a shutdown, citing the risk of spread and the lack of adequate medical services in northeastern B.C. Although BC Hydro has scaled back its workforce, it continues to fly workers in and out from across B.C. In 2017 and 2019, the CERD called for an immediate halt to construction of Site C. In a November 2020 letter to Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, made public this month, the committee once again flagged its ongoing concern over the project and expressed “regret” over Canada’s misinterpretation of its human rights obligations. We provide you with the latest breaking news and videos as they occur. The independent experts clearly weren’t fooled. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. BC Hydro has reported 40 cases of COVID-19 related to Site C since March 1, 2020, including one new cases Jan. 20. There's a turbine runner on the move that's heading towards BC Hydro's Site C Clean Energy Project and it's big. It is inconceivable that BC Hydro is reportedly spending $100 million every month to continue construction, despite the countless critical concerns and the irrefutable fact that the dam may never be completed. You have entered an incorrect email address! ... but work on the Site C Dam in B.C.’s Peace Region is pressing ahead amid the growing novel coronavirus crisis. It’s time for Premier Horgan to do the right thing and shut this boondoggle down before any more harm is done.”, [EDITOR’S NOTE: The original statement sent by Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) stated an expenditure of “$100 billion” every month to continue the construction of the Site C dam. Its market is also in deep trouble. Leaders debate 2020: Is the Site C Dam project the NDP’s dumpster fire? “In my lifetime, there has never been a more important time for Canada to demonstrate support for institutions of democracy,” wrote Govender in a statement. Supreme Court ruled Monday that it would be "contrary to the public interest" to allow demonstrators to continue trying to shut down work on the Site C dam. The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs has asked Premier John Horgan to immediately cancel the project as it is “massively destructive and […]. Here is the latest publicly reported data: Number of people in camp - 950 Number of people in self-isolation at camp - 7 There … As of March 25, there were 875 people staying at the Site C dam camp, with 12 in “self-isolation” due to flu-like symptoms, according to BC Hydro. Photo By BC Hydro The West Moberly First Nation is warning the John Horgan government that it will seek another injunction against the Site C dam if the government doesn’t halt work pending a cabinet decision on whether it's safe to proceed. "I personally would like the province to come in, shut it down and send everybody home.". Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry also advocated for balance. The federal Green Party also followed suit, saying, "We are navigating uncharted territory with this pandemic.". Justice G. Bruce Butler of the B.C. Add some “good” to your morning and evening. Unsafe in Every Sense: Site C Dam Construction Must Be Immediately Halted. B.C.’s first Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender tweeted that Canada should ignore its own laws and obey a United Nations directive to end three resource development projects including the Trans Mountain pipeline. One of the first moves of the NDP government of British Columbia was to ask the BC Utilities Commission to examine the Site C dam and to report on the finances of this project by November 1. It says there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Site C. Fort St. John, the city closest to the campsites, declared a local state of emergency Tuesday, in part due to concerns infected workers at the site could overwhelm the local hospital. Lori Ackerman, the mayor of Fort St. John, says BC Hydro has worked with Northern Health to build up specific protocols related to the outbreak. Provinces always look askance (or worse) when a federal government tries to stick its nose in their constitutionally-protected business, whatever it might be. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC) Local states of emergency were suspended by the province Thursday so it can implement a more systemic and uniform response to the pandemic across B.C. An excavator dredges out a channel at the entrance to one of the river diversion tunnels on B.C. It is not an emergency service. After months of calls to shut down industrial work sites in northern B.C. “After five months of study, it has been confirmed that the report of special advisor Peter Milburn, which still awaits cabinet and public scrutiny, could not identify any safe way to complete Site C. Furthermore, Premier Horgan has revealed that the province has hired two international experts to conduct additional reviews in light of Milburn’s lack of capacity to address safety challenges related to geotechnical issues. Construction of Site C is destroying the precious and irreplaceable Peace River Valley – and wasting billions of dollars that the province can’t afford – all for a project that will almost certainly never be completed.”. If you have a COVID-19-related story we should pursue that affects British Columbians, please email us at impact@cbc.ca. Photo: Jayce Hawkins / The Narwhal The revelations come as calls grow for B.C. The West Moberly First Nations have treaty-protected rights to hunt, fish, trap and practice their traditional way of life in the Peace River Valley. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. B.C. It is inconceivable that BC Hydro is reportedly spending $100 million every month to continue construction, despite the countless critical concerns and the irrefutable fact that the dam may never be completed. Latest updates. However, after a reader challenged that figure and The VOICE checked the UBCIC website, we found that figure was “$100 million”. As of July this year, more than 4,600 workers were employed on the Site C hydroelectric dam project, according to BC Hydro, about 3,400 of whom were British Columbians. B.C. One of the more intriguing demands by those opposing the Site C dam is that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau step in and block its construction, using the argument that the dam infringes First Nations' rights and poses environmental risk. As of July this year, more than 4,600 workers were employed on the Site C hydroelectric dam project, according to BC Hydro, about 3,400 of whom were British Columbians. BC Hydro ‘scaling down’ work on Site C Dam amid coronavirus pandemic Published March 18, 2020 3:59 pm. ... on a promise to kill the Site C dam. The NDP government designated the Site C dam — slated to be completed in 2024 — an essential service even though energy demand in B.C. has been flat since 2005 and recent mill closures have reduced provincial energy consumption.. LNG Canada, a consortium of some of the world’s most profitable oil and gas corporations, cut its workforce in half in response to the … An aerial view of the Site C powerhouse, penstocks and intakes, October 2020. It is inconceivable that BC Hydro is reportedly spending $100 million every month to continue construction, despite the countless critical concerns and the irrefutable fact that the dam may never be completed. ... Site C dam construction is scheduled to be complete in 2024 or 2025. UBCIC, Fort St. John city councillors call for shutdown of Site C project during COVID-19. The lawsuit seeks compensation or an order to shut it down and return the river valley to its natural state. "[And] we have put in fairly strict requirements for things like [Site C].". Site C is primarily in service of LNG. In a strongly worded letter, the Union of B.C. A variety of newsletters you'll love, delivered straight to you. PV; October 1, 2017 Statement by the BC Committee, Communist Party of Canada, Sept. 17, 2017. Mining Vital to Vancouver’s Economic HealthGuest's website: http://www.resourceworks.com/Produced by http://www.HoweStreet.comStay Informed! THE Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) said on Monday that a new report by Premier John Horgan’s special advisor on Site C provides yet another reason why this massively destructive and massively over-budget project must be stopped. "There's a lot of essential pieces that need to move in our communities, in our province, in our country," she said. this week. At 170 tonnes, the turbine part is so big it took consultants two years of planning to prepare for its transportation. Voice newspaper is your news, top stories, crime stories, entertainment, sports, events, auto and health website. He has a perfect opportunity now to pull the plug before further billions are invested in a dam which may be unbuildable, or if built, so expensive we will be up to our necks in debt. A long-time tradesman whose son is working on the Site C Dam, says BC Hydro should suspend construction due to the novel coronavirus. BC Hydro is poised to divert part of a major river to build the $10-billion Site C mega dam in northern B.C. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is the independent, non-governmental expert body responsible for oversight of a binding anti-racism treaty ratified by Canada more than a half-century ago. . The camp, which has 864 people, currently has 12 workers at the site who are self-isolating as of March 26, according to BC Hydro. Hydro's Site C dam project on the Peace River near Fort St. John in August. Leaders debate 2020: Is the Site C Dam project the NDP’s dumpster fire? THE Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) said on Monday that a new report by Premier John Horgan’s special advisor on Site C provides yet another reason why this massively destructive and massively over-budget project must be stopped. Construction at the Site C dam, where there have been 17 COVID-19 cases to date. But construction workers continue to work at residential and industrial projects. Now, Site C is just a few months away from rerouting the Peace River near Fort St John, a temporary measure that could last … Coun. Several leaders are calling for the shutdown of construction work camps associated with the Site C dam on the Peace River in northeastern British Columbia while the province deals with the COVID-19 pandemic. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. If Trudeau were to indeed try to shut down the dam's construction, he would create a constitutional firestorm that would mortify all provincial governments. Chief Don Tom, UBCIC Vice President, said: “In a move that betrays all efforts to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the federal and provincial governments tried to convince the UN anti-racism committee that destroying the Peace River Valley was consistent with Canada’s human rights commitments. due to concerns they’re COVID-19 “incubators,” and 250 cases at … The Green Party is lobbying the government to lay them off and shut the project shut down, pending an independent review of the project’s costs and progress, or lack thereof. The Peace River Regional District says there are “very serious concerns” with a BC Hydro plan that could see hundreds of trucks per day hauling rock materials down to Site C. 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