Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Ten years ago, one of the arguments against Site C dam was that BC would be spending billions for more power generation than it could possibly use.  Industrial power demand had fallen, thanks to the shuttering of big energy users like pulp mills. Now there is such a growing demand for industrial power in BC that Premier David Eby’s government is now having to ration it to select industries—namely mines and LNG—while shutting out or limiting other energy intensive industries like green hydrogen production, bitcoin mining and data centres. And it is circumventing a lot of its own rules to get new power lines and generation to resource projects ... CLICK HERE for the full story

On taking office eight years ago, premier John Horgan faced immediate decisions on three major projects – the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, the Site C dam, and the LNG Canada terminal. The New Democrats had been sharply critical of each in Opposition. Yet all three went ahead for reasons explained by the late premier in a memoir – John Horgan In His Own Words – scheduled for publication this fall ... CLICK HERE for the full story  

According to a November 28, 2024 Global News story, BC Hydro imported one quarter of the provinces power needs in the 12 previous months . The story stated that for the fiscal year ending March 2024, BC Hydro imported 13,600 gigawatt hours of electricity at a cost of nearly $1.4 billion. Still, Clean Energy Canada (a climate and clean energy program within the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University) wants us to believe that : B.C.’s electricity grid can handle increased demand from EVs, heat pumps and extreme weather events ... AND THAT ... recent claims to the contrary are not based in reality. Here's the thing though, according to the Government of BC the recent call, for new renewable energy projects, will provide less than 5,000 gigawatts of power per year (just over a third of what we imported in fiscal year 2024).  That power of course flowing only once construction is completed, and starts flowing into BC Hydro’s system. The fact is, BC Hydro has bee...

  Please note ... this exchange occurred on Tuesday August 11 th , 2020 The overall health of the Site C project has been classified as "red," facing serious cost overruns and schedule delays. Site C is proving to be a colossal waste of money, and we can't afford to just keep digging when we don't know how deep the hole will go. Today I asked the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources when this government will draw the line on the cost overruns at #SiteC, and reconsider the cost burden they're asking British Columbians to shoulder. I also asked if the Minister would clarify on the record that the cost uncertainties with Site C are largely due to geotechnical instability and not COVID-19.   [Transcript] -- SITE C POWER PROJECT A. Olsen: To nobody's surprise, we've recently found out that the Site C dam is in serious trouble. The overall health of the project has been classified as "red," meaning that it is facing serious...

The BC Liberals are raising serious concerns about the NDP’s management of the Site C Project after a report released today by BC Hydro reveals that, despite inheriting the project that was on time and budget in 2017, the NDP has no idea what it will ultimately cost or when it will begin producing electricity. “ Today’s shocking Site C announcement is a classic example of NDP mismanagement and their lack of leadership on important files ,” said Greg Kyllo, BC Liberal Critic for BC Hydro and MLA for Shuswap. “ When asked about the project in the summer of 2017, former NDP energy minister Michelle Mungall confirmed that the project was on time and budget, meaning it is this NDP government that is solely responsible for any delays or cost overruns we are now seeing .” A further report for the BC Utilities Commission , dated September 8, 2017, confirms that the Site C project remained on time and budget when the NDP came to power. After delaying the project for a highly-politicized...