Paddling for the Peace
Past Paddle for the Peace event, – image courtesy Peace Valley Environmental Association
Prince George, B.C.- Tomorrow, hundreds will launch their canoes and kayaks in the annual Paddle for the Peace, an effort to stop the construction of the Site C dam and save the Peace River Valley from becoming a reservoir for the dam.
The organizers of the event are optimistic that despite construction of the Site C dam being in full swing, the project can still be stopped. “The new government that’s come into power in the Province has made it their first priority to send this project to the British Columbia Utilities Commission for a more thorough assessment” says Paddle for the Peace Co Ordinator Andrea Morrison.
She says there have been plenty of questions that need to be answered about the economics of the project “There have been a number of renowned experts who have come forward over the last few years and stated this project is not in the best interests of British Columbians.”
Participants in the event will be launching their crafts at the Halfway River Bridge ( on Highway 29) at noon tomorrow and will paddle to Bear Flat, about an hour and a half downstream.
There will be a number of speakers including Federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May and Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip.
Morrison expects the gathering this year, may be one of the largest yet even though the Supreme Court of Canada recently rejected to hear the appeal from the West Moberly and Prophet River First Nations that their treaty rights were not considered before the nearly $9 billion dollar Site C project was approved. That ruling has done nothing to erode the resolve of those who oppose the Site C project “Yes, it’s very disappointing that the impact to First Nations isn’t being recognized through the courts” says Morrison “However, we feel the economic arguments on their own would definitely be enough to stop the project.”
She says when the initial economic scenarios were developed for the environmental assessment period, the costs of alternative energy projects were too high, but that since then, those costs have been reduced and are more viable now.
The Paddle for the Peace event is now in its 12th year.
Comments
Poor Andrea she nos not what she is talking about. No understanding at all on how a power grid operates.
And what are your credentials?
Forty years as an electrical operator, marine and stationary.
We have been misled about the need for Site C.
ht tps://www.desmog.ca/2016/06/13/opposition-site-c-dam-has-doubled-and-other-facts-bc-hydro-trying-bury
The Mica dam project: March 26, 2016
“BC Hydro has completed a $714 million project to add two new generating units at the Mica dam. With the addition of units five and six, the facility now has six generating units.
“BC Hydro is making investments to secure our province’s future electricity needs. An important part of this is looking at existing facilities to see if they can be upgraded to add even more power to the system,” said Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines. “The two new units give us access to more clean power for decades. BC Hydro has also recently added one more unit at Revelstoke dam and will add another one at Revelstoke in the coming years.”
Planning underway
BC Hydro expects electricity demand will increase by almost 40 per cent over the next 20 years. If demand grows as currently forecast, Revelstoke Unit 6 will be needed in 2026 to cover a capacity deficit that will occur when we begin major maintenance work on four units at Mica Dam that were installed in the 1970’s. Starting in 2026, the units will be out of service one at a time for 12 to 18 months, reducing Mica’s capacity by 410 megawatts for up to six years. For contingency, BC Hydro is pursuing regulatory approvals so Revelstoke Unit 6 could be in-service as early as 2021 in case more capacity is needed sooner.
We just lost Burrard Thermal’s generating capacity. It was expensive natural gas power
The added generation to mica and Revelstoke mainly add peaking power and backup. These plants cannot run full output 24/7 as the reservoirs put simply will drain.
Also if a large plant such as these trip off line and they do from time to time there has to be adequate reserve to cover. Also reserve to cover low water years.
Generation is not built to just cover load and reserve has to be built in for system security.
Filtered it is you that is being misled.
Slinky the greenies in the lowermainland suffer from nimbyism.
Let’s chant ‘No Green Power. No Green Power. No Green Power.’
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