5 short videos that explain the Site C dam boondoggle
What’s the deal with the Site C dam?
Here’s the situation in the simplest terms: the government wants to put a huge, unnecessary dam on a major river, and it’s a really, really bad idea.
Here’s a little more detail: the BC government and BC Hydro (BC’s publicly-owned electricity utility) have started construction on an earthfill dam called Site C in Northeastern BC, near Fort St. John. Flooding of the valley is slated to start in 2021. With less than $2 billion spent so far, it’s much smarter to stop the project now, rather than letting costs balloon to between $9 and $17 billion.
Here are five short videos that help explain how the BC government got us into this mess, and why we need to stop this dam in its tracks:
- BC HAS A SURPLUS OF ELECTRICITY. This DeSmog Canada video answers the question, “What is the Site C dam?” Dr. Harry Swain, former chair of the Joint Review Panel on Site C, explains how BC doesn’t need Site C power and won’t need it for a very long time.
Cutting Through the Spin on the Site C Dam
Last week DeSmog Canada published a video about the Site C dam that — after generating nearly 120,000 views in 36 hours — was suddenly removed by Facebook due to a complaint filed by a B.C. government contractor. Fear not, we've done a new cut. This is the video they didn't want you to see. Read more about the complaint: http://bit.ly/2fdejyn
Posted by DeSmog Canada on Wednesday, November 2, 2016
- FIRST NATIONS HAVE RIGHTS. Indigenous poet, writer and activist Helen Knott speaks about what Treaty 8 First Nations stand to lose if the Site C dam is completed in this Amnesty Canada video. First Nations are fighting the dam in court, and the federal and provincial governments are pretending not to hear.
- BRITISH COLUMBIANS CAN’T AFFORD TO SUBSIDIZE CORPORATIONS. At this point, you might still be wondering why the government is pushing the dam ahead if it’s such a terrible idea. This Sierra Club BC video shows how the dam is part of the BC government’s plan for a $9 billion handout to fracking and LNG companies, with hydro customers footing the bill.
Your BC Hydro bill is going up so Kinder Morgan and Petronas' PNW fracked gas plant can have cheap power. TELL YOUR CANDIDATES: end the handouts, STOP the Site C dam: actionsprout.io/62C809
Posted by Sierra Club BC on Monday, March 27, 2017
- PEOPLE NEED FOOD TO EAT. Agrologist Wendy Holm found that Peace River Valley farmland could feed more than one million people (nearly a quarter of BC’s population). In this Little River Productions clip, Wendy also discusses the NAWAPA theory that the dam is part of a continental water sharing plan for bulk water exports to the US.
- IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO STOP THIS DAM. Former BC Premier Mike Harcourt tells DeSmog Canada it’s better to cut our losses at $2 billion rather than go bankrupt (BC Hydro already has $76 billion in debt).
Site C Dam an ‘Economic Disaster’: Former Premier
The Site C dam is an “economic disaster” that could end up costing B.C. more than $15 billion, according to former Premier Mike Harcourt in this new video interview. Rather than wasting money on power we don't need, Harcourt says B.C. should cut its losses and get building infrastructure we DO need like schools, transit lines and bridges. What do you think?Read more on DeSmog Canada: http://bit.ly/SiteCDisasterDon’t miss out: http://bit.ly/DeSmogNewsLearn more about the Site C dam: https://www.desmog.ca/site-c-dam-bc
Posted by DeSmog Canada on Thursday, March 2, 2017
TAKE ACTION: SITE C THREATENS A WORLD HERITAGE SITE. Site C not only threatens the Peace River Valley, but it also threatens Canada’s largest World Heritage Site: Wood Buffalo National Park and the Peace Athabasca Delta. UNESCO is urging the Canadian Government to do an environmental and social impact assessment of the Site C project. Please take action by telling Prime Minister Trudeau to halt the dam construction and do a proper assessment:
