Site C Poll: The results may surprise you

Credit: BC Hydro

Site C: Aerial view of the north bank diversion inlet portal and dam core areas (August 2017)

In August, the new provincial NDP government asked the B.C. Utilities Commission to review the $8.8-billion Site C dam project. The final report was published November 1. The government wanted to know whether BC Hydro and Power Authority is on target to complete Site C on budget and on time (by 2024) and the implications for ratepayers based on three scenarios: proceeding with the project; suspending the project with the option to resume construction; and terminating the project, remediating the site and focusing on other resource portfolios that provide the same level of benefits at the same or lower cost as Site C.

When Mustel Group asked 300 people across B.C. last August what they thought should happen to Site C, half (50.4 per cent) overall recommended proceeding, 26.5 per cent said it should be terminated, and 23.1 per cent wanted it put on hold. “I think there is support for Site C or at least to be convinced that, take a second look, have the review done and show that the economic case is there,” says principal Evi Mustel. “It’s really only one in four that actually think the project should be canned.” Here’s the breakdown by region: