B.C. Hydro says a Site C protest camp erected outside its Vancouver office is a health and safety hazard, saying it will take steps to remove or relocate the site.
On Thursday, the Crown corporation put campers at its Dunsmuir Street office on notice, telling them to relocate to a designated area or face legal action.
Campers at the site say they spoke with police called to the scene Friday, but are unsure what will happen next.
The camp initially formed around Kristin Henry, a 24-year-old dam opponent hospitalized after a 20-day hunger strike.
In a statement, B.C. Hydro said the camp includes open fires, a latrine, cooking stoves and other features that pose health and fire risks. The company also claims campers have left graffiti and vandalized its property.
Earlier this year, B.C. Hydro sought an injunction against another camp located at the site of the historic Rocky Mountain Fort on the South Bank of the Peace River, which was removed by court order after blocking construction for more than 60 days.
"B.C. Hydro recognizes that there are many differing views on the Site C project and we respect individuals' rights to express their views as long as it remains lawful and safe," the company said in a statement. "However, there is increasing concern about the camp itself as it is in close proximity to our building where hundreds of our employees and customers work and visit."
"B.C. Hydro's security team has witnessed spray painting and vandalism on B.C. Hydro structures and signage, fire hazards such as gasoline tanks, an open pit fire, propane stoves, an enclosed camp with a number of tents and tarps surrounding the camp, the use of our fountains and water features for bathing and other activities, and the construction of make-shift structures such as a latrine," the statement reads. "There have also been reports of individuals climbing streetlights in the immediate area to cover the lights with bags."
Julia Ratcliffe, a Vancouver resident who's been visiting the camp for three weeks, said B.C. Hydro's claims of vandalism were "incredibly exaggerated."
"They're saying there's graffiti," she said. "I dont know what they're talking about—there's sidewalk chalk. The exaggerations they are stirring up, it's a big problem for us. It's a bullying tactic."
She said the group has cooperated with requests from fire marshalls who've visited the camp. Campers plan to meet April 9 to decide whether to move the camp to B.C. Hydro's deisgnated protest area.
Construction on the $8.8 billion dam began last summer. It will flood around 83-kilometres of the Peace River Valley and generate 1,100 megawatts of electricity.
