A change in government has organizers of the annual Paddle for the Peace in a more hopeful and lighter mood.

In its 12th year, the paddle launches from the confluence of the Peace and Halfway Rivers on Saturday.

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The BC NDP, which will form a minority government in the coming weeks with the support of the BC Greens, is expected to send the $8.8-billion Site C dam project to the B.C. Utilities Commission for immediate review as part of its transition.

“We’re more hopeful. We’re anxiously anticipating the BCUC process,” said Andrea Morison, executive director of the Peace Valley Environment Association.

“We’ll see how everything plays out, and hopefully it plays out very quickly and they get on with the process.”

The NDP and Greens announced a deal to join forces in the legislature to topple the Liberal government back in May. On June 29, they defeated the government in a non-confidence vote on Premier Christy Clark’s throne speech. Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon accepted BC Liberal leader Christy Clark’s resignation and asked NDP leader John Horgan to form government.

Green Leader Andrew Weaver and his caucus were in the Fort St. John area recently for a tour of the river valley and areas that will be impacted by the dam.

Federal Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is returning to take part in the paddle this year, while Morison said invites have been sent to the Greens, as well as the BC NDP to attend.

Invites have also been sent to the federal ministers of the environment and aboriginal affairs, as well as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“Any NDP MLAs that come, we’ll give a tour of the valley the day before (the paddle) and get them to meet with people who are impacts and talk to people how that feels for them and what they’re looking forward to and give them a good sense of the values that are in that valley and what stands to be lost.”

Getting down on the river gives people a whole different perspective on the river valley, Morison said.

“Once you get out there in a canoe or a riverboat, you realize how huge that river is, how huge the valley is and you get a really good sense of the size of the devastation that’s being proposed for Site C,” she said.

Construction on the dam began in July 2015, with an estimated $1.75 billion spent on construction to date, and with millions more signed in committed contracts.

Stiil, West Moberly Chief Roland Willson said the recent the change in government is a potential light at the end of the tunnel, especially after the Supreme Court of Canada rejected a pair of the nation's calls for a judicial review of the dam's approval.

“We lost the court action so our last Hail Mary is with the Green and NDP coalition there,” Willson said.

The position of both West Moberly and Prophet River First Nation has always been in defence of the Peace River Valley, he said.

“We’re not opposed to the creation of the energy; we’re opposed to the unnecessary destruction of that valley. They don’t need to destroy that valley to produce that energy," Willson said.

Having the support of a federal leader like Elizabeth May has helped their cause, he added.

“Elizabeth has been a good advocate for us, she understands it,” he said.

The 12th annual Paddle for the Peace takes place July 8 at the Halfway River Bridge. The event starts with a pancake breakfast from 9 to 11 a.m. Keynote speakers will start at 11:15 a.m., with the boat launch at noon.

A barbecue and entertainment will follow at the takeout point at Bear Flat, land formerly owned by Ken and Arlene Boon, third generation farmers who were recently expropriated by BC Hydro to make way for Highway 29 realignment and the dam’s reservoir.

“It’s unique and there’s a lot of really interesting people,” said Morison. “It’s a nice community gathering opportunity as well.”

ahendry@ahnfsj.ca