. The Site C dam, worth $9 billion, has been approved by British Columbia. Premier Christy Clark stated that residents will have a reliable supply of electricity for the next century, at an affordable cost. Clark stated that clean, affordable electricity was the foundation of British Columbia’s economy. BC Hydro believes Site C will provide the infrastructure needed to support our economy for many decades. It will also allow continued investments and growth. The construction of this project will begin during the summer of 2015.. According to Bill Bennett, Energy Minister of British Columbia, the electricity rates in British Columbia are among the lowest in North America. They also rank fourth for industrial and commercial customers. Bennett said the population of British Columbia is projected to grow by around one million in the coming decades, and that BC’s electricity demand is likely to go up by 40 percentage. Bennett said that the Site C dam, which is an integral part of BC’s electricity plan, is estimated to produce approximately 8 percent. Bennett pointed out that hydroelectric power has many advantages over natural or coal-fired electricity, and also said that it is impossible to predict how the prices of natural or coal will change in the coming decades. First Nations and environmentalists were concerned about the final decision on the Site C dam project. The Union of British Columbia. The Union of British Columbia. It is not about money. It is about the environment. The land. This includes constitutional rights, treaty rights, and other aspects. “It’s about a life style.” Treaty 8 First Nations also stated that they would fight the construction of this project. Site C would have a significant impact on northeastern BC. It will flood over 5 ,500 acres of land within a 83-kilometre valley. The First Nations Summit issued a statement against the construction of Site C dam: “This approach is unacceptable and an affront to the cultivation of constructive government-to-government relations between the provincial government and BC First Nations,” West Moberly First Nation Chief, Roland Willson, said that he doesn’t want to see flooding happen in his land, which is the home of many sacred sites. He stated that “We opposed the destruction of this valley…it’s the only chunk that we have, and it is vitally important.” “We must make this decision. It will impact many, many generations.” Peace Valley Environment Association strongly opposed the project and called it BC’s greatest mistake. It would be far better for BC to take a step back and create an energy plan. It said that there is no hurry to build Site C.
