Former Peace River South MLA Blair Lekstrom spoke in favour of the proposed Site C dam to the project鈥檚 Joint Review Panel on Wednesday, saying it would make the province less reliant on outside energy sources, but acknowledged that it would come with some costs.
鈥淭he impact you see is more than just the value of the home or the land 鈥� this is where they raised their families and developed their life,鈥� he told the crowd. 鈥淎ll the money in the world is not going to solve the impact on these families.鈥�
Lekstrom called on the panel to look at paying the families impacted by the dam double their current land value to make up for this impact.
鈥淭here鈥檚 the Expropriation Act that has very clear rules if you follow that,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f this is decision is made to move ahead with this project, and people are dislocated from their homes ... I don鈥檛 believe any amount of money will compensate for the feelings these people are having.
鈥淎lthough it won鈥檛 solve it, I would say that assessed value plus 5 per cent is appropriate. Is it a 50 per cent increase? Is it 100 per cent? I don鈥檛 know. That鈥檚 a discussion that needs to be had.鈥�
Questions directed to B.C. Hydro about whether or not they would support such a proposal were not returned as of press time.
Lekstrom was one of about a dozen presenters to speak to a panel about the proposed Site C hydroelectric dam at the George Dawson Inn on Wednesday.
Despite his reservations about landowner compensation, Lekstrom told the panel that he favoured the dam.
鈥淭here's no question in my mind that a project of this magnitude that has hung on for this long must have merit to it ... there just doesn鈥檛 seem to be, I think, a more beneficial way to meet the needs of British Columbians鈥� he said. 鈥淚 can't imagine B.C. not wanting to be energy self-sufficient.鈥�
Lekstrom said that with this option, B.C. would be less likely to have to rely on outside sources to meet its energy needs, such as those from Alberta or elsewhere.
According to him, about three years ago, the province relied on that province鈥檚 energy sources to provide power during peak times 鈥� a position he said he does not want to see the province put in again. He pointed to places like California, and blamed rolling blackouts that occurred there as a result of having to import energy.
Lekstrom said other options like wind power were more of an addition to sources like the proposed hydroelectric dam, which he described as 鈥渇irmer.鈥� He said he believed that these firmer sources of power were vital.
In previous public sessions, some concerned citizens have asked the panel to consider new natural-gas electricity plants as an alternative to Site C. However, Lekstrom said that while this may be a good option now, he did not know if it would always be that way.
Currently, natural gas prices are low for B.C. residents, but he said that given the volatility of the market, that could change to where it wouldn鈥檛 be beneficial for B.C. Hydro to go that way.
(Hudson鈥檚 Hope Mayor Gwen Johansson later suggested that the government could look into some way of adjusting current policy to allow ways 鈥渢o get around that鈥� at another point during the meeting.)
Others have suggested that the province could look further into energy conservation. While Lekstrom supported the idea of energy conservation, future developments would still be needed.
He said that more wide-scale public energy conservation was needed, which may not happen. 鈥淭here will be the people who oppose Site C who will leave their lights on (when they leave the house),鈥� he said.
The former provincial Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources was also quizzed about energy policy by the panel.
Panel chairman Harry Swain mused that if Site C were to go ahead, the province could be in a position where it could cost more to produce energy than it would be to sell it.
Lekstrom said that from his perspective, people would be willing to pay for this type of loss if they could have energy self-sufficiency.
He was also asked about the province鈥檚 decision to shut down a gas power plant in the Lower Mainland, and whether that plant could be used to manage times of peak power demand.
Lekstrom said that could be a conversation that could happen, but that the plant would not be enough to meet BC Hydro鈥檚 expected energy demands. (Hydro has predicted energy use to rise by 40 per cent by 20 years, although some speakers at the meeting disputed that figure.)
