Site C dam threatens agriculture in Peace River region

Larry and Lynda Peterson moved up from the United States in the early 1970s to start a market garden in the Peace River valley. They routinely harvested roughly 2,000 tons (i.e., 4,000,000 pounds) of marketable potatoes on just over 100 acres of the alluvial land located within the proposed Site C flood zone. These potatoes were marketed throughout the region as far south as Prince George. They would still be growing vegetable crops had it not been for BC Hydro's heavy-handed, coercive land aquisition activities that scared local residents into selling out prematurely under fear of being not being adequately compensated for their farms if they didn't cooperate. Lekstrom's arrogant attitude regarding the people who actually understand the value of the land in the Peace River valley proves that their modus operandi hasn't changed in three decades.

Peace Valley Environment Association:
3,000 hectares of the “most productive land”

Blair Lekstrom
“Three-hundred-and-seventy-one hectares of private land,”

So which is it, 3000 or 371? It's a bit of a discrepancy, alright.

It appears that Lekstrom's rhetorical trick here is to refuse to recognize any land already purchased by Hydro as agricultural land, no matter what its soil capabilities may be. Hence Lekstrom's emphasis on "private" land, its current ownership rather than its intrinsic properties.

Which raises a question. Does Lekstrom think everybody's stupid?

Rod Smelser

Rod, he doesn't think everybody's stupid - he's sure hoping they are though!

Growing up in the heart of the Peace Country, it is impossible to ignore the impact of the farming community. When the farmers do well, everyone flourishes. Agriculture is the heart and soul of the region, feeding many far from the source.

As our government continues to neglect the land needed to sustain our province we become more dependent on imports. Without fresh and safe food, our population's health will be affected, health care dollars stretched even further.

Projects like this dam have a trickle down effect on the future of the entire region. Are we to be convinced that producers of power are more important than producers of food!! We have other options for power production, we need land to farm!

I must agree with both Lea and Rod! Lekstrom is certainly hoping a measure of us are simple and the rest are distracted by the looming HST, failing job market, soaring gas prices, mortgage difficulties...I am sure I am missing a few others!

Can we find no better way to invest in our province than the destruction of arable land? For some reason, as time has passed, elected officials seem no longer accountable to those footing the bill! I find it odd that as our population increases we have LESS power to control our government rather than more!! We are less connected, less concerned, less informed in this age of information than when we actually talked to each other!

Mr. Campbell obviously feels these are his decisions when they should be ours! He is counting on the 'right' people and money to push this project ahead. The saddest part being, with the big money pulling the strings, he has as little control as I do!

Site C is a cataclysmic mistake not only in view of our need for farmland in the coming convergence of climate change and peak oil in the next 10 to 30 years (David Holmgren, Future Scenarios). It is wasteful in every other way—for the usual political reasons of corporate profit. However, there are win-win solutions to satisfy all interests.

Energy efficiency is the first solution to our energy needs. We waste more than half of the electricity we generate (Rocky Mountain Institute: rmi.com.) A study carried out by a coalition of community organizations in co-operation with BC Hydro in the late 80’s found a conservative estimate of 44% wasted in BC. The thousands of residential and commercial construction projects alone, if built to energy efficiency standards, would save untold megawatts in future demand. Converting residential, commercial and industrial operations, including BC Hydro and government, to energy efficiency will create thousands of new jobs, businesses, and industries, and stimulate a sustainable economy.

Small-scale, on-site solar, wind and geothermal are the sustainable options for new generation, for all sectors. These also jump-start a green economy. We don’t need to destroy rivers and fish, clam beds and halibut grounds (as with the wind project in the seas off Haada Gwaii), waste forests and farmlands, building centralized generation and costly high-voltage transmission lines, poisoning us all with pesticides and electromagnetic fields. (One cause of the worldwide decline in bees is electromagnetic radiation interfering with their magnetic organs by which they navigate.)

Centralized generation and transmission, including solar, wind, and the misleadingly named “small hydro” are all about multi-national corporate profits. These profits would be even greater than with gas, oil and coal generation, since renewable ”˜fuels’ are free.

Let’s not forget export, which the Liberals have already admitted would be part of Site C. This is the same mistake BC made with the previous mega-dams. We have been exporting much of that electricity for many years at one cent a kilowatt-hour while BC consumers paid eight cents. California was paying only the cost of transmission and “incremental costs” while BC consumers paid the capital costs; and still service a multi-billion dollar debt. All this is no doubt still going on in some form, and will be again.

We must also take into account the free trade condition by which we will have to continue to export as much energy as we always have, regardless of our own needs.

Environmentalists, concerned citizens, unions, NDP, Greens, and even Liberals, need not be at each others’ throats on this question. Multi-national corporations need not forego profits. We can all invest in the sustainable options—starting with the billions of taxpayer dollars proposed for Site C. A recent study by global energy expert Amory Lovins and his team (partly funded by corporations including Shell Oil) found 256 ways that small-scale generation is more profitable than centralized systems (smallisprofitable.com). Small-scale renewables added to the existing grid provide the further advantage of stabilizing it and making it less vulnerable to black-outs.

The good news is: the ecological solution is the economic solution, and also the ethical.

Hildegard Bechler
New Westminster

I'm concerned not only about the farmers but the ecology of the area. I recently visited and was astounded at the vital thriving animal populations. There is a protected park across from the farmers there for a good reason. how does BC Hydro explain how they will maintain the ecological integrity of the protected area if its being flooded and killed?

I would like to stop this from happening and will do what I can. The Peace River is a place to come to peace with nature, not exploit it for "resources". It is doing far more good as it is.

People from the Fraser Valley who understand agricultural land to feature very fertile dark soil will be surprised that the prime land we are talking about is most commonly used for canola and cattle grazing. The engines of the Peace Country economy are oil, logging and electrical power generation. All over Canada we discontinue growing a variety of crops because we can buy food more cheaply from other countries. Fertile land all over the country lies unused. In terms of the food production and land use problems we face, the Peace land is small potatoes. Site C's highest and best use is much needed clean power generation.