With arrests of protesters at the Site C Dam job site this week, Minister of Energy Bill Bennett is going on the offensive and championing the benefits of the mega project.
Bennett says there are 600 workers on site right now. “And that will double and triple very quickly within the next several months. We will be making sure that as many as possible, certainly the majority are from BC.”
The BC Government says 75% of the workers currently on site are from BC.
The civil works contractor is beginning to mobilize and move equipment into the site. Construction has started on a temporary bridge across the river, the 1600 person worker accommodation camp is also being built and public roads are being upgraded around the site.
As for the protesters that have dug in with a camp at Rocky Mountain Fort, Bennett says he’s not surprised some are vehemently opposed to the project. “It’s understandable. There are farmers that are going to be impacted personally; their land and homes. One would expect that they would be upset about that and they will never support the idea of Site C.”
But Bennett says polling has shown that the majority of British Columbians are on board with the project, and he expects some of the strong opinions will change down the road once Site C is up and running.
“The decision to build the project was made by a democratically elected government after seven years of due diligence. There was a lot of study and analysis to determine what was best.”
BC Hydro and the main civil works contractor will be holding job fairs in late February and early March.
Additionally, business networking sessions are planned for Quesnel and Prince George, giving local businesses the chance to meet with the civil works contractor for the mega project.
Prince George
Tuesday, February 2
Session one: 1:30pm – 4:00pm
Session two: 5:00pm – 7:30pm
Ballroom
Coast Inn of the North
770 Brunswick Street
Quesnel
Wednesday, February 3
Session one: 1:30pm – 4:00pm
Session two: 5:00pm – 7:30pm
Main Hall
Quesnel Senior Centre
461 Carson Avenue