BC Creek Protection Society

For the last several years, large numbers of proposals for hydroelectric development have sprung up all over British Columbia. Often, these proposals are referred to as IPP projects or RoR projects which stands for independent power producers and run-of-river, respectively. The predominant part of these proposals are coming from private companies that intend to use the water resource to produce hydroelectric power that they plan to sell back to BC Hydro (BCH). As the former minister of Energy and Mines, Blair Leckstrom, stated in early 2010, such power, once bought by BCH, would be mostly intended for the export market. The reason why we have only seen large numbers of RoR proposals in the last few years is that the current government tried to attract IPP developers to the province by making it very attractive to develop such power. A typical RoR project is different from a classic dam in that it uses all the same ingredients as a large dam but in different proportions. Typically, for an RoR project, a dam is built in a location on a creek before a significant gradient occurs. These dams and reservoirs are often relatively small but can be up to several meters high and kilometres long, respectively. Then, throughout the section of steepest gradient on a river, the water is diverted into a pipe and redirected to a powerhouse. The steep section of the creek where the water is diverted (diversion reach), is largely dry with often only 5% of the median annual flow remaining in the creek. The conflict with the kayaking community is obvious when considering this type of design. All the first-class kayaking stretches of rivers and creeks are also the most ideal for hydroelectric development. Some examples of rivers that have been lost to the community are Rutherford Creek, and the Ashlu River. Due to the aggressive government promotion of hydro-development, there are currently over 600 active applications for RoR projects in BC. Many of the rivers and creeks potentially impacted are still unknown to kayakers, others are renowned for their world-class whitewater. The future will likely bring increasing pressure to more and more creeks around the province. The hot-spots for development at the moment are Vancouver Island, the Sea-to-Sky corridor, Chilliwack and the Harrison Lake area. However, the conflict is not only limited to how industrial development impacts recreational value. Many of us kayakers have witnessed that recreational users are often the only stewards for some of these creeks and form the only voice that will protect the natural beauty and the ecological value of free flowing rivers and creeks. Many do not think that the quick cash from exported power and the little long-term employment that projects offer is an appropriate reimbursement for the natural value lost to our province. Across the province, from the Kooteneys to Vancouver Island, kayakers have spoken up for free flowing rivers; in many places very successfully. The Glacier Howser projects near Jumbo Wild faces strong local opposition from kayakers that completed the first descent of the steep canyons of these rivers two years ago. The power company Axor offered the kayaking community deals including recreational releases and building put-in structures. The kayakers did not accept the offer, and stated that they value the experience of free flowing rivers over artificial structures and releases that are managed by a Quebec based corporation. There have been mistakes made on the kayaker’s side, too. The play-course at the Rutherford, where a pristine creek was traded for a recreationally useless artificial structure, stands as a mostly silent reminder that cutting deals with the IPP industry leaves our community in the dirt. Making deals with developers means giving consent to development that permanently and detrimentally alters our free rivers. Many believe that the kayaking community can have significant influence on protecting free rivers and creeks when we stand together to protect what we are fortunate enough to use. Kayakers pride themselves as being river stewards and not damaging the ecosystems by their use. All that remains after a paddle down a magnificent stretch of water are footprints in the dirt and memories of jaw-dropping scenery which can only be experienced in the moss drenched canyons of the west coast. We can make a difference if we come together to oppose the rush for power-export. Not one free flowing creek should be given up for an artificial play course or feature so that air conditioners can run in California on power that is concealing creek destruction under a green veneer. Jakub Drnec and Jan Dettmer BC Creek Protection Society

As most of you know the Glacier-Howser project was put on pause by the Environmental Assessment Office last year. AXOR has been collecting data and information over the past year and is expected to resubmit their application in the coming months. This means Glacier and Howser creeks are still at risk. In one week, on Tuesday June 1, the EcoSociety, in partnership with the Wilderness Committee will be hosting a ‘Rivers at Risk’ event entitled ‘Saving Kootenays Rivers from a Power Gold Rush’. Speakers include Rex Wyler, co-founder of Greenpeace and spokesperson from B.C. Citizens for Public Power, Gwen Barlee and Joe Foy from the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, Gary Diers, an organic farmer who lives near Glacier and Howser Creeks, and myself, as the EcoSociety representative. Together the speakers will cover the big picture of power and sustainability, the recent history of power development in B.C. including the impacts of the Clean Energy Act which was released in April, a look at power in the Kootenay region, including an update on Glacier-Howser, and how residents can respond effectively to projects that put Kootenay rivers at risk. The event is set up so each speaker will present for about 10-15 minutes, some with films or slide shows, and the event will follow with a panel. I know I don’t need to highlight to you the significance of the discussion around IPPs and run-of-river projects in the Kootenays. However, this is a critical time for the future of energy development in the West Kootenays, and this event will work to keep the public informed and updated. If you can make it: Tuesday June 1 at 7 pm at Capitol Theatre (241 Victoria, Nelson) Admission is by donation to cover the event costs. Raelynn Gibson Climate and Conservation Coordinator West Kootenay EcoSociety 250-354-1909 Speakers Bios Rex Weyler, Communications and Research Support, BC Citizens for Public Power Rex Weyler is a passionate advocate for the protection of B.C.’s wilderness, wildlife, and public power. He is a co-founder of Greenpeace International and author of nine books, including Greenpeace: The Inside Story. In 2005, he received a Social Justice Award from the Urban Environmental Policy Center in Los Angeles recognizing his lifetime achievements. Gwen Barlee, Policy Director, Wilderness Committee Gwen Barlee’s diverse education and experience includes social work, film production, and web development, and she is a past executive team member of the Victoria chapter of the Council of Canadians. For the last several years she has focused on protecting B.C.’s rivers from private power development. Joe Foy, Campaign Director, Wilderness Committee Joe Foy has been the driving force behind many of the Wilderness Committee’s campaigns to successfully protect spectacular areas, including the Elaho Valley, Boise/Pinecone-Burke, and the Stein, Carmanah and Lower Walbran Valleys. His passion for the wild shines through in his speeches. Gary Diers, Organic farmer, Argenta Gary has lived in Argenta for over 30 years. He is an avid hiker and photographer of the spectacular wild areas of the Kootenays. He lives near Glacier and Howser Creeks and has been active in the campaign to protect them since the beginning. He has been active in the environmental movement and is incredibly familiar with the wilderness of the Kootenays.

Testing the Waters, a review of environmental regulation of run of river power projects in British Columbia is released! Please find it here.

MEDIA RELEASE For Immediate Release Environmental Groups Recommend New Approaches to Clean Electricity in BC Vancouver, December 17 — Several environmental organizations today released a blueprint for improving the planning and development of renewable electricity projects in British Columbia. The recommendations, authored by the David Suzuki Foundation, the Pembina Institute, Watershed Watch Salmon Society and West Coast Environmental Law, have been endorsed by 25 environmental organizations across the province. British Columbians are deeply concerned about climate change, and while they support clean electricity to address climate change, many harbour concerns about how clean electricity is currently developed. Government energy and climate policies have stimulated a rapid increase in the rate of development of renewable electricity projects, but public support has not kept pace in many cases. Projects have frequently been opposed due to concerns about social, environmental and economic costs. The blueprint released today, “Recommendations for Responsible Clean Electricity Development in British Columbia,” outlines how planning and development can proceed in a way that is more transparent, strategic and inclusive of and beneficial to all British Columbians — First Nations and the public alike — while limiting environmental impacts. The groups recommend that British Columbia’s progress on clean electricity policy and development can be dramatically improved by: 1. Ensuring that energy conservation and efficiency is the highest priority. 2. Making British Columbia’s electricity supply as clean, renewable and low-impact as possible. 3. Adopting a renewable electricity planning framework that limits environmental, social and economic impacts and maximizes public benefit. 4. Reforming water licensing, land leasing decisions and governance. 5. Strengthening the environmental assessment process, addressing and managing cumulative effects, and improving monitoring and compliance performance. 6. Developing an informed consensus about the conditions whereby renewable electricity could be exported from British Columbia, if at all. -30- Organizations endorsing the Recommendations for Responsible Clean Electricity Development in British Columbia: BC Spaces for Nature BC Sustainable Energy Association Cassiar Watch David Suzuki Foundation Forest Ethics Friends of Clayoquot Sound Friends of Wild Salmon Georgia Straight Alliance Living Oceans Society Northwest Watch Outdoor Recreation Council Pacific Wild Pembina Institute Raincoast Conservation Foundation Sierra Club of Canada, BC Chapter Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition SkeenaWild Conservation Trust Steelhead Society of British Columbia Sunshine Coast Conservation Association T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation Watershed Watch Salmon Society West Coast Environmental Law West Kootenay EcoSociety Wilderness Tourism Association Wildsight For more information, contact: Karen Campbell, Pembina Institute, cell: 604-928-2258 Craig Orr, Watershed Watch Salmon Society, cell: 604-809-2799 Josh Paterson, West Coast Environmental Law, phone: 604-601-2512 The full recommendations are available at: http://bc.pembina.org/pub/1951

Urgent: Take Action Now for BC Rivers At the power producers’ industry convention in November, BC Premier Gordon Campbell announced four ‘Green Energy Advisory Task Force’ groups and a mid-January deadline for their recommendations about nearly everything related to energy in BC. Task Force members are hand-picked: some are high-profile individuals with little experience, many have ties to energy industry profits, and most support existing government policies. The Task Force quietly offered just 4 weeks for public comments – until December 31, 2009. It is time to tell the Liberal government their methods are insincere and autocratic. Energy issues are some of the most critical questions facing BC and we need real opportunities for public participation. We need an energy-planning process that’s transparent and accountable – not what’s happening now! Write to the BC Government today. Your message can be very short: This process is a sham. Our rivers are precious and irreplaceable and they are BC’s last great resource. If all the 800 BC rivers now staked for private development are diverted to produce electricity at full capacity, our carbon offset would be less than 8% – with unimaginable environmental costs. Its time to stop and rethink what’s truly ‘green’! Send your email to

• BC Premier Gordon Campbell: premier@gov.bc.ca
• Minister of Energy Mines & Petroleum Resources, Blair Lekstrom: blair.lekstrom@gov.bc.ca
• Minister of Environment, Barry Penner: barry.penner@gov.bc.ca

Copy your email to the task force groups:

• ProcurementAndRegulatoryReform@gmail.com
• CarbonAndExportMarket@gmail.com
• CommunityAndFirstNations@gmail.com
• ResourceDevelopmentTF@gmail.com

WRITE YOUR LETTER TODAY! FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO YOUR FRIENDS: WE NEED MANY VOICES SPEAKING LOUD! You can also say more - best in your own words.

• Request province-wide town hall meetings and more time for public submissions.
• Demand return of community and citizen rights:
  • Repeal Bill 30 that silenced our local governments’ voice in private power projects.
  • Heed the report of our independent regulator, BC Utilities Commission, which ruled private river power is unnecessary, too expensive, and not in the public interest.
• Ask for a moratorium on river diversions until we have inclusive and comprehensive planning.
• Insist on energy conservation before energy production.
• Put the public good ahead of corporate profits.
• Design incentives and infrastructures to encourage conservation.
• End your letter with a question that requires a real answer.

FYI More info: http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/Premier+Campbell+announces+sweeping+energy+policy+review/2173927/story.html http://www.straight.com/article-273776/vancouver/energy-task-force-members-green-bc-liberal-party-coffers http://www.buteinlet.net

The one hour public lecture is now available on youtube: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 University of Victoria, October 29th 2009. Part of the BC Creek Protection Society’s lecture series on environment and energy. For good reasons, climate change dominates the current headlines and presents itself as a difficult problem to solve within the framework of growth-based economies. Without a larger vision, governments have long prevaricated in taking action. Now, they seek solutions through minor policy changes, supposedly renewable energy sources and futuristic technologies. Their goal is to fix the problem–and get back to business-as-usual. However, upon close examination this approach to climate change proves to be intrinsically unsustainable. Instead, governments are prone to an ever-growing global dependence on a consumptive economic machine that is running out of space and time. This economy is oblivious to its planetary context; resurrecting it is a dream of a world gone by, all the while forsaking an opportunity for re-invention that can easily slip away. Dr. M’Gonigle is the EcoResearch Professor in Environmental Law and Policy in the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria, one of the founders of Greenpeace International, EcoJustice, Smart Growth BC, the Dogwood Initiative, and the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance at UVic. He has written extensively in the areas of resource and environmental law and policy, and has been developing a new field of green legal theory.

Natural ecosystems and biodiversity must be made a bulwark against climate change, not a casualty of it, argue Will R. Turner, Michael Oppenheimer and David S. Wilcove. See full article at Nature: A force to fight global warming

The BC Creek Protection Society presents GENERAL PUBLIC LECTURE David Lam Auditorium (MAC A144) 7:00 pm on Thursday, October 29th Light refreshments and snacks will be provided. Dr. Michael M’Gonigle, one of the founders of Greenpeace International, will be giving a lecture at the University of Victoria on October 29th as part of the BC Creek Protection Society’s lecture series on environment and energy, entitled: Climate Myopia: backing into the future? For good reasons, climate change dominates the current headlines and presents itself as a difficult problem to solve within the framework of growth-based economies. Without a larger vision, governments have long prevaricated in taking action. Now, they seek solutions through minor policy changes, supposedly “renewable” energy sources and futuristic technologies. Their goal is to “fix” the problem–and get back to business-as-usual. However, upon close examination this approach to climate change proves to be intrinsically unsustainable. Instead, governments are prone to an ever-growing global dependence on a consumptive economic machine that is running out of space and time. This economy is oblivious to its planetary context; resurrecting it is a dream of a world gone by, all the while forsaking an opportunity for re-invention that can easily slip away. Dr. M’Gonigle is the EcoResearch Professor in Environmental Law and Policy in the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria, one of the founders of Greenpeace International, EcoJustice, Smart Growth BC, the Dogwood Initiative, and the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance at UVic. He has written extensively in the areas of resource and environmental law and policy, and has been developing a new field of “green legal theory.”

CBC News, May 6 2009 Inspection reports and emails obtained by CBC News show B.C. government officials have raised concerns about environmental infractions during the construction of the rapidly growing number of run-of-river private power projects in the province. In one email obtained by CBC News, a forestry official involved wrote, “I am becoming increasingly nervous about the lack of attention to the projects.” (more…)

By Vicky Husband, Special to Times Colonist May 6, 2009 The New Democratic Party’s opposition to a carbon tax is a mistake. The result is that the NDP are pilloried as environmental dinosaurs, while the Liberals escape scrutiny for their own abysmal environmental record. Even on the climate-change file, the Liberal government’s record is decidedly mixed. Don’t forget that the Liberals have supported massive urban sprawl — a major source of B.C.’s greenhouse gas emissions. (more…)

Join with like-minded citizens as we Rally for BC Rivers at the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) meeting in Nanaimo, Saturday, April 4th. We are gathering to focus public concern on the 700 BC river ecosystems threatened by private energy developments which will change the British Columbia wilderness landscape forever. We are requesting cumulative environmental assessments and a province-wide public process for river-diversion energy projects. Help promote precautionary principles and send a message to AVICC, at this important annual meeting of our municipal and regional government leaders. Meet people who share your concerns — and help build coalition among our coastal communities! Watch here for more details. Calling all BC Citizens: First Nations • Elders Naturalists • Sport & Commercial Fishers • Forest Workers Environmentalists • Paddlers • Hikers & Climbers Moms & Kids • Teachers & Students • Business People YOU and Your Friends! Bus to the Rally for Rivers from Campbell River and Victoria - pickups along the way! We’ve got bus transportation to our Rally for Rivers on Saturday, April 4th. From Campbell River Catch the noon ferry to Campbell River and join with other islanders who are going to 1) have fun, and 2) tell government how much we care for BC’s wild rivers. We’re going to sing and chant and wave our placards; excellent speakers will deliver our message to local and provincial politicians meeting at the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities. Lets tell them we want to have a say in what happens to BC Rivers and BC energy! Bus departs CR at 12:15 from the ferry terminal. The Rally for Rivers happens downtown at the Nanaimo Convention Centre starting at 2:30. Parade to after-rally gathering where we can share more info, ask questions, collaborate and strategize. Come home feeling satisfied and energized! Bus leaves Nanaimo in time to catch the 8:30 ferry. So pack some food, gear up for the weather and join your neighbors in a show of support for Bute Inlet — and all of BC’s rivers! Bus fare $16 return. Please call soon to reserve your seat! If we receive enough early commitments, we’ll organize a second bus. Please call Carol 285-2771. From Victoria The bus will leave Saturday April 4th at 12:00 from Felicitas (Student Union Building) at UVic. We’ll be back 9:00 pm the latest. It is small bus for now (24 people) but if there are more people interested, we’ll switch it to a bigger one. We can also pick you up on the way (Goldstream, Mill Bay, Cobble Hill, Duncan, Ladysmith). Please let us know (Jakub and Petra 250-382-3499, jakub@bc-creeks.org) if you are riding with us! And spread the word! Help Paint Rally for Rivers Placards! Calling kids and artists! We’re aiming to make this a different kind of rally – not only are we joining our voices, we’re bringing heart and soul! Many kids and adult artists are creating art placards – no words, just evocative pictures – the only criteria is that a river runs through it. Please consider making a river picture for the rally! Colourful and joyful, please use poster stock or paint on something already sturdy. Send your really beautiful message even if you can’t attend! We’ve collected tons of great slogans and we’re also making 100 rally placards! On Wednesday April 1st at 7 pm come down to the Community Centre and help make slogan signs for the Rally for Rivers. If you have spare brightly coloured latex paint or paint brushes bring them along. Good placard materials also welcome: we need clean, bright and sturdy paintable surfaces, large but not huge! If you make a river picture placard at home, please deliver it to the Community Centre by Wednesday April 1st or bring it with you to the rally. For more info: http://buteinlet.net

Nanaimo PUBLIC MEETING: RIVER AWARENESS When: TUESDAY MARCH 31, 7:00 PM Where: The Nanaimo Aquatic Centre, 741-3rd St For Directions Click Here BC rivers are threatened by unprecedented rapid industrial development in remote areas. In the name of “green energy”, numerous proposed hydroelectric projects would divert hundreds of kilometers of rivers from their natural riverbeds and build a vast network of new powerlines to connect remote wilderness areas to the grid. The environmental and social impacts are unknown but may be severe given the size and cumulative effects of such development. The BC Creek Protection Society and special guest speakers will present and discuss the potential impacts of hydropower development in British Columbia at a public meeting on Tuesday, March 31 in Nanaimo. Guest Speakers: John Calvert, Associate Professor , SFU (author of Liquid Gold) Gwen Barlee, Western Canada Wilderness Committee Tanis Douglas, Watershed Watch Salmon Society The presentations will be aimed at educating the public on proposed Independent Power Projects in British Columbia. These projects will be shown in a broader context of independent hydroelectric development occurring across the entire province. An invitation is extended to the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation, Snuneymuxw First Nation and any other interested parties. Everyone Welcome! 7:00-9:00 PM: Presentations, public Q & A Follow-up: Join Friends of Bute Inlet on the Rally supporting BC endangered Rivers - SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2:30pm, Nanaimo Convention Centre

 

On March 26th, join thousands of British Columbians in standing up for our wild rivers. Whether you like to swim in them, look at them, drink from them, or float down them, BC’s many wild rivers and streams are a natural heritage that we all enjoy. In 2002 the BC government banned BC Hydro from developing new sources of green power, decreeing that all new hydropower must come from private companies. This has lead to a gold rush mentality, with private operators staking almost 600 creeks and rivers throughout BC for the purposes of hydropower production. Each one of these projects involves building river diversions, dams, powerhouses and many kilometers of roads and transmission lines. Power production can be done the right way. Unfortunately, that’s not happening in BC. There is little environmental oversight and no regional planning. Local governments have lost their say on these projects. The Wilderness Committee, Canada’s largest grassroots conservation organization, is calling for a moratorium on these projects. We like our rivers wild and our power public. We hope you do too. Join with us and thousands of like-minded citizens from across the province on Thursday, March 26. Phone your Member of the Legislative Assembly and the Premier. Stand up for our rivers and streams. Find out just how powerful your voice can be! For more information visit: http://www.tenthousandvoices.org/

BC South Coast Massive River Diversion Development

Three open houses were held recently by the Environmental Assessment Office to inform the public about the proposed mass scale Bute Inlet Hydro Project located on the BC South Coast. Despite the fact that a vast majority of the affected public lives outside the reach of the meeting locations, and that requests were made by conservation groups and the public to hold additional open houses in Vancouver and Victoria, no such opportunity was provided by the government. The conservation groups took the initiative to hold their own open houses in Vancouver on February 10th and Victoria on February 11th. The following open houses are co-hosted by Watershed Watch Salmon Society, the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Save Our Rivers Society and the BC Creek Protection Society. EVENT DETAILS: Vancouver Open House: February 10, 2009, UBC Robson Square Campus, Vancouver; Room C300, 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. with speakers starting at 7:30. Victoria Open House: February 11, 2009, University of Victoria, Victoria; Elliot Building Room 168, 7:00-9:30 p.m. The Vancouver meeting, which will precede a similar open house in Victoria on February 11, will include technical explanations of the project, high-profile guest speakers, and the opportunity to pose questions to an expert panel. For more information: The Bute Inlet Hydroelectric Project Backgrounder

Size of Plutonic proposal raises alarms Bute Inlet project 100 times larger than typical private venture Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun Published: Saturday, December 06, 2008 Plutonic Power Corporation is scaling new heights for independent power projects — and the environmental concerns that accompany them — with a proposal to BC Hydro for a 1,027-megawatt hydro power project at the head of Bute Inlet on B.C.’s central coast. The proposal is 100 times larger than the current average run-of-river hydro project and involves a record 17 stream diversions, 445 kilometres of transmission lines, 314 km of roads, 142 bridges, 16 power houses, and a substation. FULL ARTICLE

Whistler – The debate about independent power projects (IPPs) rages on in some circles, leading a small but impassioned crowd to gather in Pemberton’s new community centre on Saturday (Oct. 18) to talk rivers, power and politics. Representatives from the Western Canada Wilderness Committee (WCWC) and the B.C. Creek Protection Society raised concerns about the environmental impact and the scope of privately owned run-of-river projects. Attachment: Full article (external link to www.whistlerquestion.com)

NOVEMBER 30 - DECEMBER 5 New Video Released on Kootenay Rivers Threatened by Private Power Proposal as Save Our Rivers Society Leads “Rivers at Risk” Tour Through 5 Kootenay Communities! Watch this new 11-min short documentary, “Rivers at Risk: Glacier & Howser Creeks,” by POWERPLAY producer Damien Gillis on the battle to protect a treasured piece of Kootenay wilderness from private power development. This video is the second installment in Save Our Rivers Society’s new “Rivers at Risk” series, which profiles different rivers around BC threatened by private power development - told in the words of the local citizens batting to protect them. Featuring stunning high definition footage of this spectacular BC wilderness, revered by outdoor enthusiasts. Link to video Join Save Our Rivers in five different West Kootenay communities for a premiere of this video and presentations by Rafe Mair, Damien Gillis, Lee-Ann Unger of the West Kootenay EcoSociety, and the COPE 378 “Take Back the Power” campaign: NELSON: Sunday, November 30 7 PM - Nelson United Church NAKUSP: Tuesday December 2 7 PM - Bonnington Arts Centre MEADOW CREEK: Wednesday, December 3 7 PM - Lardeau Valley Hall KASLO: Thursday, December 4 7 PM - Langham Theatre ROSSLAND: Friday, December 5 7 PM - Rossland Miner’s Hall

Attachment: Sedan Creek Letter Oct 24 Watershed Watch Salmon Society Please find below a letter by Watershed Watch Salmon Society that raises strong concerns about potential wild salmon habitat impacts on Sedan Creek due to a run-of-river hydroelectric proposal. If you could devote some time to write a letter for this cause, this would be greatly appreciated. (more…)

Attachment: Letter regarding Renewable Portfolio Standards legislation The BC Creek Protection Society and several other NGOs from BC have written a letter to the California Government. The letter is a result of a collaboration with the Hydro Reform Coalition and was triggered by a recently released study by the major utility PG&E. (more…)

The Victoria Fire Fighters Charitable Foundation donated $1,500 to the BC Creek Protection Society. The donation was in the name of Jeff Strang, a Victoria Fire Fighter. Strang was a good friend to many of the Fire Fighters in the department. In fact, some refer to him as a brother. He was also an avid white-water paddler and passed away in a tragic accident on a local river in January 2007. Jeff strongly believed in the values of free flowing rivers and was a close friend of many members of the BC Creek Protection Society. We often discussed our ideas about a dedicated river stewardship society on the long drives to the rivers we loved to kayak together. After Jeff passed away, his friends, colleagues, and family donated close to $10,000 to our society. We have been very fortunate for having this support and consider it an honor to be standing up for British Columbias free flowing rivers in Jeff Strangs name. Jakub Drnec and Jan Dettmer Jan Dettmer (left) accepts the cheque from Kirk Corby:

This year’s second annual BC Rivers day at the Goldstream provincial park was a great success. As a continuous stream of visitors poured into the park throughout the day (total about 500 people), volunteers had very full hands helping out at the different stations. (more…)

PUBLIC MEETING: RIVER AWARENESS When: SATURDAY OCTOBER 18, 7: 00 PM Where: Great Hall in the New Community Centre, 7390 Cottonwood Dr., Pemberton, BC

Pemberton’s Ryan River along with many other free flowing rivers in BC face pressure from large-scale, fast-paced hydro power development.

The BC Creek Protection Society and a special guest speaker will present and discuss potential impacts of hydropower development in the Pemberton area and in British Columbia.

Guest Speaker: Gwen Barlee, Western Canada Wilderness Committee

The presentations will be aimed at educating the public on proposed Independent Power Projects in the Sea to Sky corridor. These local projects will also be shown in a broader context of independent hydroelectric development occurring across the entire province. An invitation is extended to the Lil’wat First Nation, N’Quatqua First Nation, Samahquan First Nation, Skatin First Nation, Douglas First Nation and any other interested parties.

Everyone Welcome!
7:00-9:00 PM: Presentations, public Q & A

Damien Gillis and Rafe Mair produced a video on the impacts of Salmon Farming on wild Pink Salmon. This ties into our concerns of RoR development on free flowing rivers since industrial development in wilderness areas is inherently linked to ecological impacts. We believe that the impacts due to currently proposed and carried out RoR development in BC are so poorly understood that it is impossible to gauge future impacts on our ecosystems. We therefore try to stress the need for a precautionary approach to any industrial/commercial use of free flowing rivers and their ecosystems. It is also interesting to note that the Glendale River flows into Knight Inlet, close to the Klinaklini River. Please watch the video on “Collapse of Salmon From Fish Farms - Glendale Grizzlies: In the Absence of Salmon” Damien writes: “Save Our Rivers Society is pleased to present a new film by POWERPLAY producer Damien Gillis, teaming with Save Our Rivers’ official spokesperson and longtime wild salmon advocate Rafe Mair. The film, “Glendale Grizzlies: In the Absence of Salmon” is a preview of a forthcoming series, S.O.S.: The State of Our Salmon, that will discuss the importance of salmon for our environment, economy, and cultures - as well as examining historic impacts on our wild salmon, culminating in fish farm devastation on the coast, and new threats on the horizon, including the pine beetle and private river power projects on potentially hundreds of our rivers and streams. Time to start saving our wild salmon - as Rafe Mair says, “the soul of our province.” That means no more salmon farms, no urban sprawl developments on top of prime fish and wildlife habitat (see Silverdale in Mission), and no private river power!”

A public meeting will be held in Tofino, BC on September 26th at 7:30pm. The meeting will take place at the Clayoquot Community Theater on Campbell Street next door to the municipal offices. This meeting will include presentations by the BCCPS, Tofino Chamber of Commerce, and the Friends of Clayoquot Sound. The presentations will be aimed at educating the public on the development of a proposed Independent Power Project on Bulson Creek in Eastern Clayoquot Sound. This proposed local development, by Synex International, will also be placed in the broader context of independent hydroelectricity development currently occurring across the entire province. An invitation is extended to both the Ahousat and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations and any other interested parties.

      BC Rivers Day is a province-wide event, held every year on the last Sunday of September. Established in 1980 and coordinated by the Outdoor Recreation Council (ORC). www.ORC.ca Thousands of British Columbians celebrate BC Rivers Day on the last Sunday in September each year, making it Canada’s largest river appreciation event. BC Rivers Day generates public awareness about British Columbia’s waterways. Recreational clubs, conservation organizations, community groups, schools, and local governments host BC Rivers Day events across the province. Victoria BC Rivers Day is a free community festival and family event hosted by BC Creek Protection Society to celebrate free flowing rivers and the importance of our river heritage through information displays, educational videos, riverside nature walks, children’s crafts, wreath making, fishing demonstrations, bake-sale, and more… (more…)

Klinaklini River at Risk The Klinaklini River is part of the remote Coast Range wilderness. For 200 kilometres, it winds its way from the Chilcotin Plateau past majestic peaks and glaciers toward Knight Inlet. It is one of the few rivers in the coast range that originates from the nutrient rich Interior Plateau and rich the river is: The Klinaklini hosts one of the most important eulachon runs of the Pacific West Coast. Steelhead and salmon spawn in its waters and bears gather here drawn by the abundant food. In the surrounding forests and estuary, many red listed species such as Marbled Murrelets can still be found in numbers. (more…)

Dear Editor, the recent article “Much heat, little light in river power debate” raised some interesting concerns about politicizing this important problem. However, the closing remarks of this article raised significant concerns with us. The author suggests that RoR projects are the energy option with the least environmental impact and a viable option for supplying future energy demand. We would like to challenge this point of view in the following. (more…)

Dr. Richard Hebda, Schools of Earth and Ocean Sciences and Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria and a respected, published author and presenter on climate change speaks about carbon sequestration in BC forests, and the risk of land developments which may disrupt this and release significant amounts of greenhouse gases. Forests, in particular, old-growth forests in complex ecosystems sequester large amounts of carbon compared to replanted seedlings in a clearcut. Carbon stewardship and full cost accounting, and eco-footprint analysis should be a pre-requisite to province-wide developments of power projects. Do we release more CO2 through the construction process, or modification of the landscape? Do we reduce the environment’s adaptive capacity by changing the way rivers run? Do we influence fish stocks and the way fish use rivers? Disturbing the landscape weakens its capacity to make adaptations. Landtrust Alliance
Full Report Video (external link to Google Video) Videography: Damien Gillis Save Our Rivers Society

In the below video, Jack Woodward explores potential impacts of aboriginal title and rights with regard to private power licenses. Video by Damien Gillis (externam link to Google Video)

Below is the press release form BC Hydro for the newest call for tenders. The call is for approximately 10% (5000 GWh) of the current energy demand in BC. In our view, acquiring such large amounts of power is highly irresponsible by the government. The detrimental ecological impacts that will be associated with such development will be vast since it can be expected that major power sources will be located in wilderness areas. For example, Plutonic Powers proposal for Bute Inlet will require approx. 400 km of new transmission lines. Further, the claim that these power projects are carbon neutral is highly questionable since environmental impacts are not accounted for. Cradle to coffin concepts are also non existent in the calculations that are used as the basis for the advertising of these projects. (more…)

Power project is not meeting its commitment to go green and to protect species at risk – Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun, April 28, 2008 — An independent power project on Miller Creek near Pemberton is failing to meet its commitments to produce “green power” and to protect species at risk, according to an environmental consulting report. (more…)

By Craig Orr and Peter Broomhall Barely a month after promising to prevent hydro entrepreneurs from constructing a power line through Pinecone Burke Provincial Park, the provincial government appears determined as ever to privatize “new” hydro development throughout British Columbia. No one who remembers a certain event of June 2006 will be surprised. (more…)

By Stephen Hui There are more than 8,000 sites in the province with the potential to be developed as run-of-river power projects , a study commissioned by B.C. Hydro and the B.C. Transmission Corporation has found. (more…)

By Stephen Hui, Aril 17, Georgia Straight — Terry Sonderhoff insists that run-of-river power projects like the one he hopes to build near Squamish are far from the ecological and energy-policy disasters that critics say they are. The private power developer maintains not only that his Fries Creek project would have a minimal environmental impact but also that such enterprises represent the best way to provide British Columbians with cheap, clean electricity for years to come. (more…)

In recent weeks, the issue of energy privatization in British Columbia has garnered much attention in both local and provincial media. Most recently, the debate has raged over whether or not a controversial Independent Power Project (IPP) should be allowed to proceed on seven tributaries of the lower mainland’s Pitt River. Although this particular project has since been shelved due to environmental concerns, the broader issue of private hydro development on BC’s creeks and rivers, is poised to be a major political flash point.  As both advocates and opponents of private power generation continue to square off, it is important that an accurate frame of reference is provided through which the public can view this complex issue.

 

Until now, much of the debate has been carried out under.  A fundamental assumption that BC is in dire need of vast new energy sources.  However, contrary to what the public has been led to believe, BC is NOT experiencing an energy crisis. In reality, BC citizens face a “manufactured energy crisis” and at a time when many alternatives to widespread development exist. 

 

The current BC Energy Plan, released by the Liberal Government in February of 2007, is a response to what the government sees as a major threat to BC’s energy security – the fact that BC imports electricity.  There is no doubt that since 2001 BC has been importing electricity, however, unlike the negative connotations the Government has attached to this situation, it has actually been more profitable for BC to do so.  Importing electricity has simply been a very cost effective strategy.  BC Hydro does not import power because it has no other domestic source through which it can acquire the energy, but rather it has strategically bought from the energy market when electricity is readily available and prices are relatively low.

 

By pursuing a strategy of  “buy low, sell high”, BC Hydro has been able to allow domestic reservoir levels to rise. Through this process the utility is essentially ‘banking’ its own energy sources for a later date at which time market prices are higher and the sale of power more profitable.  The BC Energy Plan ignores the economics of this traditionally very profitable process. 

 

Furthermore, by using its reservoir capacity to contribute to an increase in American electricity generation on the Columbia River system downstream, BC is annually party to a large parcel of hydroelectric energy as per the Columbia River Treaty.  This parcel amounts to 4500 GWh or approximately 10 % of BC’s yearly energy requirements.  Although this energy could be used to supplement needs within the province, the Provincial Government has actually decided to sell this power on the American energy markets, and in doing so it is turning a very significant profit.  Conveniently, profits from the sale of this energy go directly to the government’s general coffers.  Rather than utilizing this existing energy source, the Campbell Government has chosen to reap the economic benefits, while simultaneously claiming that in order to meet BC’s domestic energy needs, a greater generating capacity must be developed.  

By choosing to ignore the benefits of the Columbia River Treaty and the economics of ‘buying low and selling high,’ the Campbell Government has strategically led British Columbians to believe that our province faces a dire energy crisis.

 

Recognizing that the “energy crisis” has been manufactured, British Columbians will be able to understand how the notion of an impending crisis has been politicized.  Essentially, “the crisis” has been used to justify the manic development of IPP’s  on public lands throughout the province.  Proponents of private power production within the province, spearheaded by the Provincial Government itself, have continually argued that IPP’s are integral to the provincial energy supply if it is to weather the impending energy crisis.  The significance of this argument lies not in the potential importance of these projects to BC’s energy demands, but rather in the fact that the argument for their very existence is based on the false pretence of a manufactured energy crisis. By strategically premising all arguments on an assumed energy crisis, through the power of suggestion, proponents have convinced the public to accept that vast new sources of energy are a necessity.  By leading the public to believe that it is facing a looming energy crisis, proponents have essentially made the rapid development of new energy sources in BC a very profitable fait accompli.

 

Unfortunately, the British Columbian public has accepted this assumption so widely, that the debate surrounding private power production no longer addresses the true guts of this issue.  As it stands now, many environmental groups are forced to address the proliferation of IPP’s on a case-by-case basis, frantically fighting for the exclusion of a few key watersheds.  Consciously or not, this has left scant resources to address the key issue of a falsified energy demand.  Meanwhile the public appears to have been led down the garden path, almost entirely oblivious to the fact that it has been sold a very costly medicine to treat an ailment it simply does not appear to have. So from now on, as British Columbians debate the pros and cons of independent power projects, let us consider the fact that contrary to what the public has been led to believe, BC is not facing an impending energy crisis.  Instead, the crisis we are fighting, is a crisis of rapid, unchecked development which threatens to permanently damage the ecological, cultural and social fabric of this wonderful province.

 

 

Conor MacKenzie

Coldstream, BC

BC Creek Protection Society 

China Creek run-of-river hydro project. First Nations, municipalities explore controversial energy source. TheTyee.ca, By Colleen Kimmett, Published: April 11, 2008 Environment Minister Barry Penner decided not to go against a very vocal majority when he nixed a plan to run a power line through Pinecone Burke Provincial Park last month. (more…)

Private River Power Draws Diverse Foes ‘Green’ claims disputed. By Colleen Kimmett Published: February 19, 2008 TheTyee.ca Tom Rankin, president of Save Our Rivers Society, used to have to pester people to get his message out. Now he has plenty of citizens eager to listen. (more…)

On Saturday February 2, 2008, when communities across Canada face some of the coldest temperatures of the year, many are standing up for Canadian energy strategy by learning more about our energy policies. Here, in Victoria Area, watch “49 Megawatts”, hear guest speakers and learn more about BC government selling of our rivers to private power companies - to generate electricity which we don’t even need. Learn what you can to do stop so-called ‘green’ run-of-river projects from damaging our pristine wilderness. (more…)

Thursday, November 22, 2007
This resolution was passed at the British Columbia New Democratic Party Convention on Nov. 17: (more…)