Site C Dam

Open Letter re: the Site C Project (20 September 2020)

Download our Open Letter, here.

Previous Research on the Site C Project

In 2016, a team of researchers led by Dr. Karen Bakker began producing a series of reports on the Site C Project. These reports assessed First Nations issues; environmental impacts; regulatory process; greenhouse gas emissions;  economics; and employment.

UBC’s Program on Water Governance has now published 6 research reports on Site C (available below), and made 6 technical submissions to the BC Utilities Commission (available at: http://www.sitecinquiry.com/submissions-and-comments/). The UBC research reports were reviewed by independent academic experts. Our report and submissions to the Site C Inquiry were extensively cited  (more than that of any other intervener) by the BCUC in its Final Report on the Inquiry Respecting Site C.

Authors: Dr. Karen Bakker is a Canada Research Chair, Professor, and Director of the Program on Water Governance at UBC. She has over two decades of experience in environmental and water research, and is one of Canada’s leading researchers on water governance issues. She is a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. Dr. Gordon Christie (Faculty of Law, University of British Columbia) was another lead author on the reports. Click here for biographies of our researchers.

Site C: Summary of Key Research Results (23 November 2017)

New UBC-led report finds alternatives to Site C creates significantly more jobs, produce electricity at a lower cost with lower risks, have a significantly lower environmental impact, and produce less greenhouse gas emissions. 

Press Release (23 November 2017): Site C creates fewer jobs and has larger environmental impact.

A new UBC report compares employment numbers from Site C versus the alternatives, and concludes: stopping Site C will create a larger number of sustainable jobs in the province, including in the Peace Region.

UBC’s Program on Water Governance has conducted a detailed comparison of employment generated by Site C versus the alternative portfolios put forward by BC Hydro and the BCUC.

• Our analysis indicates that terminating Site C and pursuing the alternatives results in modest job losses in the short term, and substantial job gains in the medium and long-term.
• These jobs are generated by remediation, conservation, and alternative energy projects.
• Terminating Site C and pursuing any alternative portfolio creates a higher number of sustainable jobs in the province, including in the Peace Region.
• Site C provides the least jobs per dollar spent.

Press Release (20 November 2017): New UBC report compares employment from Site C versus alternatives.

1. UBC Briefing Note: Comparative Employment Assessment of Site C versus Alternatives (17 November 2017)

2. UBC Spreadsheet Analysis: Comparative Employment Assessment of Site C versus Alternatives (17 November 2017)

3. UBC Analysis of Allied Hydro Council Report (19 November 2017)

2016 Research Reports

Report #1- First Nations and Site C (May 2016)

Report #2 – Site C Environmental Effects (May 2016)

Report #3 – Regulatory Process (May 2016)

Report #4 – Site C – Comparative GHG analysis (July 2016)

2017 Research Reports

Report #5 – Site C – Economics (April 2017)

Report #5 – Site C – Economics Report – Errata (April 2017)

Policy Options – overview article (April 2017)

British Columbia Utilities Commission Reports

Our team has made six technical submissions made to the British Columbia Utilities Commission, which can been viewed on their website or below.

F106-1  Program on Water Governance, UBC, Reassessing the Need for Site C & Comparative Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emissions of the Site C versus Alternatives (2 reports in here) (August 27 2017)

F106-2 Program on Water Governance, UBC, Submission to the BC Utilities Commission (August 30 2017)

F106-5 Program on Water Governance, UBC, An Updated Portfolio Present Value Cost Analysis (October 11 2017)

F106-6 Program on Water Governance, UBC, Policy issues of relevance to the BCUC Inquiry Respecting Site C (October 16 2017)

F106-7 Program on Water Governance, UBC, Comments on BC Hydro’s Appendix M (October 16 2017)

F106-10 Program on Water Governance, UBC, Submission #6 — Comments on the Commission’s Draft Alternative Portfolio – Hendriks (October 19 2017)

F106-10-1 Program on Water Governance, UBC, Submission #6 – Comments on the Commission’s Draft Alternative Portfolio Spreadsheet Analysis – Hendriks (October 19 2017)

F106-11 Program on Water Governance, UBC, Submission #6 — Alternative Portfolios with regard to the Site C Project – Raphals (October 19 2017)

F106-11-1 Program on Water Governance, UBC, Submission #6 — Alternative Portfolios with regard to the Site C Project Spreadsheet Analysis – Raphals (October 19 2017)