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At a projected cost of $8.8 billon, the approved but yet-to-be-built Site C dam is the single most expensive public infrastructure project in B.C.’s history.

However, far more is at stake than just our pocketbooks when assessing the costs of Site C. So before returning to the appalling economics behind the project, consider the following:

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If built, the dam would flood more than 100 kilometres of the Peace River’s forest and wetlands, and those of important tributaries including the Moberly and Halfway rivers. These lands are rich in wildlife and fisheries resources that have sustained the region’s First Nations people since time immemorial and they are subject to the terms of Treaty 8.

Are we comfortable with the knowledge that this project could have permanent, irreversible impacts on Indigenous rights that go far beyond the scope of any other industrial project underway or contemplated in B.C.? Certainly members of the West Moberly and Prophet River First Nations are not. They continue fighting the project in the courts, a legal battle most British Columbians remain oblivious to.