Site C Work May Be Just Weeks Away
Prince George, B.C.- BC Hydro says it will begin construction this summer on the Site C dam and it could start as early as mid July.
While the project still needs a couple of permits to work in some areas, work could begin on BC Hydro owned lands, or with the Ministry of Transportation and Highways
BC Hydro already has its environmental certificates from both the provincial and federal governments, but there is still some approvals that need to be given. One is from Forests Lands and Natural Resources which would allow construction on Crown lands, the others are Federal authorizations that have to be received . “We need a fisheries authorization and we also need a navigable waters authorization before we could do things like the river road, and the construction bridge” says Site C project spokesperson, Dave Conway .
He says the earliest those authorizations could be received is from “The earliest we could get those permits back is July 8th” says Site C spokesperson, Dave Conway “So it’s not a start date, my understanding is that’s the earliest we could get those permits back.”
Conway adds thought, that there are activities that can be done without those permits “We can operate for example on BC Hydro owned lands and we can do work with the Ministry of Transportation and Highways because they have existing rights of way which don’t require permitting.” The kind of work that could be done would include mobilization to sites, site preparation and fencing.
“We’re continuing to do all the other work around procurement that we require on the project” says Conway.
Comments
Baa, ha, ha; the Harper government got slapped in face by the Supreme Court just a couple of months ago, regarding a Treaty 8 First Nations Judicial Review into the environmental certificate for Site C Dam. Seems Harper and Christy are partners in crime when it comes to challenging the law, or skirting around the spirit of those laws.
“The federal government struck out in court Friday in its attempt to gut key passages of a Treaty 8 First Nations Judicial Review into the environmental certificate for Site C Dam. After 3 hours of arguments on the crown’s motion to strike, brought with the support of the province, the presiding Prothonotary Lafreniere not only threw out the government’s argument – which he called “a very rare request” – but ordered costs be paid to the First Nation plaintiff. The decision presents another legal roadblock to the $9 Billion dam, on which the BC Liberal government and proponent BC Hydro intended to break ground this summer. The federal judicial review is now slated to be heard in JULY, with the nation’s key argument of rights infringement by the dam fully before the court. The Judicial Review is being brought jointly by West Moberly First Nations, the Prophet River First Nation, McLeod Lake Indian Band, and Doig River First Nation.”
What kind fools insist on proceeding with a mega project while all of these outstanding legal challenges to that mega project are before the courts? Watch as the key argument of First Nations rights infringement gets supported by the court, and the BC and Federal governments lose again. There seems to be a problem with the Harper and Christy governments when it comes to providing “Meaningful Consultation and Accommodation” of First Nations impacted by mega projects such as this one. It seems as if they either ignore First Nations, or fail to communicate properly with First Nations, when it comes to resource extraction, or exploitation, within their traditional territories.
http: //commonsensecanadian.ca/site-c-dam-crown-strikes-out-with-attempt-to-gut-first-nations-judicial-review/
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