Site C was a difficult but prudent decision

Icommend B.C. Premier John Horgan for his no doubt difficult but prudent decision to proceed with the completion of the Site C dam project.

I know that Horgan wrestled with this decision, and that the preceding government had done its utmost to ensure that Site C was at the point of no return before the provincial election. That being said, it must be recognized that this project will not only provide thousands of jobs today, but will also help displace fossil-fuel plants while providing a secure source of green energy for generations of British Columbians to rely on.

The termination of the Site C project would have represented a $3.2-billion immediate loss to the B.C. government with no benefit from the expenditure while alternative new sources of clean power would have had fewer benefits and would currently be at least as costly as Site C power.

As John Kenneth Galbraith, the Canadian-born diplomat and economist, noted: “Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.”

As unpalatable as Site C might be to some, to have reversed course would have been financially disastrous for B.C. Hydro, the taxpayer and, ultimately, the consumer.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers has a keen interest in the development of alternative energy sources and conservation technologies. As examples, our members have worked to upgrade legacy B.C. Hydro facilities such as the John Hart Dam in Campbell River; we have constructed wind turbines on the northern tip of the Island; and we install electric-vehicle charging stations and energy-efficient building controls every day.

In other words, we see the B.C. energy system in a holistic way. We see Site C as a valuable ally providing needed base-load energy along with smaller scale alternative-energy projects that will come along in the 21st century.

It is estimated that electric vehicles will account for 30 per cent of all new vehicles by 2035, and will add a significant new load to the B.C. power grid. Site C will ensure that the electricity charging those vehicles does not come from thermal plants burning fossil fuels.

Although we strongly support the government’s decision to proceed with Site C, we must also ensure that this project, as far as might still be possible, be built on time and on budget.

For the sake of product quality, efficiency and long-term reliability, as well as worker and consumer safety, it is imperative that all employees performing electrical work on the Site C project should hold provincial certification as construction or industrial electricians, or should be registered apprentices working under the direct supervision of certified electricians.