The B.C. Supreme Court has granted BC Hydro an injunction to remove campers who have been blocking Site C dam construction on the south bank of the Peace River for nearly 60 days.

Justice Bruce Butler rendered his decision in a Vancouver courtroom Monday morning, ordering campers to vacate by midnight.

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According to reports from media in the courtroom, Butler said there was "no doubt" a one-year delay of the project would drive up construction costs of the estimated $8.8-billion project, despite arguments to the contrary from the defence.

"I must accept the current status of the project. It has been approved to proceed (by the government)," Butler was quoted as saying. "I accept Hydro’s assertion that there is urgency to this

application."

Since late December, opponents of the dam have been occupying the site of the historic Rocky Mountain Fort, an 18th century fur trade fort that will be flooded by the dam's reservoir. They argued dam construction should be halted until outstanding First Nations and landowner lawsuits against the project are resolved, a move they said would save the Crown utility and taxpayers money.

Ken Boon, president of the Peace Valley Landowner Association and one of the campers, said he was disappointed in the ruling, but that he would obey Butler's order.

"We're all law abiding citizens. This is not the end of the battle, this is just one stepping stone," Boon said from the camp Monday afternoon, adding he was planning to meet with others who have been camping at the fort.

Another camper, Yvonne Tupper, also said she would comply with the order.

"We will not disobey whatever the decision is (Monday) by Judge Butler," Tupper wrote in a statement posted to Facebook Feb. 28.

In his decision, Justice Butler noted that BC Hydro has spent $700 million on the project so far, with projections to spend another $600 million per year moving forward.

In an emailed statement, BC Hydro spokesperson David Conway said the utility respects "the right of all individuals to express their opinions about Site C when it is done in a safe and lawful manner.

"However, we have the legal right to carry on with the construction of Site C and that’s what the court decided today," Conway wrote.

Conway said BC Hydro applied for the injunction as it was unsafe to undertake clearing work with the campers in the area.

"We’re hopeful the individuals on the construction site will respect the decision of the Court and leave the area so that work can proceed safely," Conway said.

"We are facing scheduling limitations in the area being blocked by the protestors and we need to get on with this work soon. All other construction work on Site C is continuing."

Boon said a strong case remains on the cost and benefits of a delay and further review of the time, noting four court cases against the dam and construction permits remain undecided.

"We have a premier who came out and said her goal was to get this past the point of no return, and we're seeing the effects of that. Meanwhile, we have court cases that are pending," he said.

"There are four legal court decisions to come forward as it stands right now and there's no guarantee there's not going to be more."

Boon couldn't say where campers will take protests against the dam in the meantime.

"It's a moving playing field and it's hard to predict where this will go," he said. "But it's not over yet."

B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver said the ruling of the court must be

respected.

“However, I think the reasons behind why the protesters were there in the first place were, and remain, valid," Weaver said.

"I greatly sympathize with the lengths they have gone in an attempt to be heard during this process.”

—with files from Canadian Press

editor@ahnfsj.ca