Macdonald presents petition showing opposition to private power projects

Columbia River – Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald presented to the Legislature a petition signed by more than 600 Golden and area residents indicating their opposition to the development of private river-diversion projects on Ventego and Cupola Creeks.
 
The petition statement is as follows:
 
The BC government is giving away our publicly owned land and water on Ventego and Cupola Creeks to generate electricity for export, we find this unacceptable.
 
There is no provincial planning and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, through the enactment of Bill 30, has had their zoning a decision-making authority removed.
 
Selkirk Power’s IPP proposals on Ventego and Cupola Creeks have not undergone provincial or federal environmental assessments and the cumulative impacts of the transmission lines, logging, road building, road improvements, along with significant creek diversion have not been evaluated by the provincial government.
 
Your petitioners respectfully request that the Honourable House call for a moratorium on Selkirk Power’s proposals and on all IPP’s in BC until they are regionally planned, environmentally appropriate, acceptable to First Nations and publicly owned.
 
“The residents of Golden have been pretty clear on this issue,” said Macdonald.  They do not support these projects.  They do not want our rivers to be given away to private interests without our consent.”
 
Prior to the passage of Bill 30, Miscellaneous Act (2006), also known as the Ashlu River Bill, local governments were part of the decision-making process on whether or not these river-diversion projects would proceed.  Bill 30 removed the ability of local communities to say no.
 
“People in this area will not accept the development of these projects against their wishes.  And this petition is just one more example of our determination to make our voices heard on this important issue.”
 
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MEDIA CONTACT: Joy Orr (o) 250 344 4830 (c) 250 344 1359 (e) joy.orr@leg.bc.ca