There has been a steady flow of letters and comments pouring into the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency as the proposal for the Site C hydroelectric dam is set to face a formal review.
By the time Monday night's deadline for submissions passed, more than 1,500 comments were filed and more than 100 other documents, including written submissions, were posted online.
When the review hearings begin in earnest on Dec. 9, BC Hydro will make its case for building the 1,100 megawatt dam on the Peace River, southwest of Fort St. John. The project, which comes with a $7.9 billion price tag, would require an 83-kilometre reservoir and the realignment of parts of Highway 29.
BC Hydro believes the project is needed to meet future electricity demand in the province, while critics say it's not the best way to increase capacity.
Among those third-party groups making arguments in favour of the mine are the New Car Dealers of British Columbia who said the extra hydro capacity is needed to accommodate an expected increase in the number of people who will be using electric-powered cars in the coming years. Other industry groups who would see more of a direct benefit if the dam is built have also filed letters of support including the Cement Association of Canada and the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies of BC (ACEC-BC).
"The construction and operation of Site C will not only create significant employment for engineers and construction workers while it is being built, the provision of stable and dependable power will create employment opportunities throughout northern B.C., as the various resource-based projects proceed," ACEC-BC president and CEO Keith Sashaw wrote.
Closer to home, Initiatives Prince George has filed a letter supporting the dam's construction and plans to speak in favour of the project when the panel hearings visit Prince George for a half day of discussion on Dec. 19.
IPG CEO Heather Oland wrote to the panel that she will give an overview of the importance of Site C "from the need for energy and for the procurement and supply chain opportunity for Prince George and regional businesses."
Those against the dam include some local residents and First Nations groups who worry about the impact the flooding of the reservoir will have on the land as well as people who argue the project will add too much to the debt load the crown corporation is already holding.
"Wildlife populations, such as caribou, have been decimated because of previous dam construction on the Peace River," Lisa Neste wrote in her letter to the panel. "Another dam would do too much damage to remaining fish and wildlife, making it more difficult, and perhaps impossible to recover populations to former healthy abundance."
Among the environmental concerns citizens have raised in their filings to the panel are increased fog caused by the creation of the reservoir, the impact on fish habitat, the risk of mudslides caused by shoreline erosion, the greenhouse gasses emitted by the construction crews and the loss of agricultural land.
The majority of the hearings, including all the discussions regarding technical issues, will be held in Fort St. John. The panel will also hit the road for sessions in communities ranging from Hudson's Hope to McLeod Lake. The hearings are scheduled to conclude on Jan. 23.
