Academics from across Canada are calling on the federal government to rethink Site C dam, on the basis that an environmental review did not properly consider environmental impacts and potential infringement on treaty rights.
The Royal Society of Canada has taken the unusual step of weighing in on the hydroelectric dam project, with 250 academics at universities across Canada signing an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“Although the Site C Project has received provincial and federal regulatory approval (including some of the necessary permits), the Royal Society of Canada is deeply concerned about how that approval was achieved,” the letter signed by Royal Society president Maryse Lassonde states.
“Indeed, project approval goes against the Canadian government emphasis on evidence-based decision-making and how it must shape and inform government action.”
The society is calling on the federal Department of Justice to consider whether the project infringes on the rights of Treaty 8 First Nations in the Peace region and whether the infringement is justified.
It also asks both provincial and federal governments to justify the project, considering there were other alternatives for generating electricity with fewer environmental impacts, and asks that the project be referred to the BC Utilities Commission, which had been bypassed in the project’s approval.
“As determined by the Joint Review Panel, the alternative portfolio proposed by BC Hydro for meeting the needs for electrical energy and capacity in BC would have a lower amount of adverse environmental effects, including in relation to greenhouse gas emissions,” the society states in a separate statement.
It also asks that any further construction permits be suspended until the question on treaty right infringement has been addressed.
In response to the Royal Society's letter, BC Hydro issued a statement questioning why the society is only now scrutinizing the project.
“We are unable to find any record of the Royal Society of Canada having participated in the environmental assessment process for Site C,” BC Hydro states.
“This is unfortunate since there were multiple opportunities for meaningful input during the environmental assessment. This included public-comment periods at all key stages of the process, and two months of public hearings that took place during the Joint Review Panel stage.
The Crown corporation also said it was “disappointed that the Society decided to focus only on the nine-month Joint Review Panel process in its media statements, but neglected to mention the three-year federal-provincial environmental assessment process that Site C went through.”
Check out BIV’s podcast for the week of May 17, 2016:
