A series of provincial administrations and the politicians and bureaucrats we-the-people employ have consistently lied to us by both commission and omission. By wilful blindness, they have put and are putting lives at risk…
Continue readingTag: Site "C"
In-Sights: Pushing back on Site C disinformation
Brian Cochrane’s byline is on an article about Site C published March 28 by The Tyee. The author is described as business manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115, one of the unions whose members will be working on construction of BC Hydro’s Site C dam. I was
Continue readingIn-Sights: What Hydro, Government and corporate media hates reporting
BC Hydro’s sales of electricity to residents and businesses have been flat since 2005, despite population growth of 15% in BC and minimal effort by the provincial utility to reduce consumption. BC Hydro hides the fact by including sales outside the province in the once insignificant “Other” category and counting
Continue readingIn-Sights: The fix was in
In a November 2017 post at his blog, York University Professor Mark Winfield, notes the failures of politicians when tasked with making energy decisions: The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has just announced a public inquiry into how the economically disastrous Muskrat Falls hydro-electric project was approved. In reality there
Continue readingIn-Sights: Site C, a Kodak moment
For many years, I worked in the motion picture film laboratory business. One of our profit centres was processing TV News film footage. We had machines in or near TV stations in Vancouver and Victoria. If a story was breaking, news departments would dispatch a reporter and cameraman to the
Continue readingIn-Sights: The art of deception
Proponents of Site C always label it a “clean energy project.” BC Hydro says “It will be a source of clean and renewable electricity for more than 100 years.” Those claims may be deceptive. A paper published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology expresses concern about these intrusions on nature: There are three primary reasons
Continue readingIn-Sights: Someone is telling us lies
When BC Liberals said the Site C completion budget was $7.9 billion, the cost of power from the project was stated to be $87 – $95 per megawatt-hour (MWh). Now, with the Site C budget up 26% to $10.7 billion, John Horgan’s NDP government claims the cost per MWh has
Continue readingIn-Sights: Sunk costs
I once owned a car that my family had driven almost 400,000 km. The engine was becoming unreliable, down on power while dripping and burning oil. We enjoyed the car and didn’t want to replace it so I had the engine rebuilt at a cost more than $2,000. A short
Continue readingIn-Sights: An open letter to the BC Government
An item in my email today seems worth reprinting. February 7, 2018 Dear fellow New Democrats: We are New Democrats whose critical stance is based on social and environmental justice. We seek environmental justice in order to help build the NDP as a Party that will attract youth activists, people
Continue readingIn-Sights: Deceit is still a BC Government tool
A BC Government “technical presentation” regarding its decision to continue construction of Site C is filled with misinformation, deceit and false justifications. If this is the quality of the advice taken by John Horgan’s cabinet on one rather important issue, we should be concerned about every other policy being considered.
Continue readingIn-Sights: An open letter about Site C
My computer has been idle during the holiday season, partly for an intended break but also because I’ve been laid low by a nasty bout of inflenza. After 2+ weeks, the worst seems to be over and I expect to resume normal activity in the near future. As my reading of
Continue readingIn-Sights: BC Hydro, the next steps
I’m disappointed in the provincial government’s decision to continue Site C. It is not the choice I would have made, were I in a position of influence. However, I understand it. Financial issues interconnect. Finance ministry people influenced the Site C decision, emphasizing that what is done today affects what can
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Damian Paletta and Josh Dawsey report that cash for access is the only way for anybody to raise issues with the U.S. Republicans’ tax bills. And Ronald Brownstein views the tax debacle as conclusive evidence of the closing of Republican minds. –
Continue readingIn-Sights: Save BC Hydro from financial ruin
• In fiscal year 2006, BC Hydro sold more power to BC’s residential and business consumers than it sold in 2017. • In fiscal years 2006 & 2007, BC Hydro paid independent power producers (IPPs) $812 million. • In fiscal years 2016 and 2017, BC Hydro paid IPPs $2,442 million.
Continue readingIn-Sights: An electrifying agenda
Access to years of BC Hydro’s financial reports provide me with an indisputable record of the utility’s financial destruction. Eleven years ago, one citizen didn’t have detailed evidence but he did have foresight. A letter to Black Press, September 27, 2006: Editor: Re: Tom Fletcher, B.C. Views, “Road show, or
Continue readingIn-Sights: Site C – Uncertain costs, ambiguous benefits
Most readers will be familiar with Erik Andersen, an expert commentator about economic matters in BC. This is the original text he submitted to the Vancouver Sun after the newspaper published an article about BC Hydro’s Site C project. He sets out a reason – one that had not occurred
Continue readingIn-Sights: Them vs us
Disputing parties in arguments about Site C belong to either of two camps. One is populated by people wanting a share of the billions of dollars to be spent; the other by people who will be forced to pay the huge sums. I’ve seen claims that Site C is needed
Continue readingIn-Sights: Corporate media works for some but not for its audience
Earlier this year, American Bernie Sanders warned us about the failures of corporate media. In How Corporate Media Threatens Democracy, he wrote: …For years, major crises like climate change, the impact of trade agreements on our economy, the role of big money in politics and youth unemployment have received scant
Continue readingIn-Sights: Site C Twitter recap
I'd like to see a full inquiry as to how BC Hydro execs and previous BC gov't conspired to manufacture the case for #SiteC — Marc Lee (@MarcLeeCCPA) November 1, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js I'm going out on a limb. BCUC #SiteC report is the beginning of the end for this project
Continue readingIn-Sights: The Site C choice
British Columbia Utilities Commission will release its second Site C report on November 1. I expect this will provide further information but not a definitive recommendation. But, of course, the buck stops at John Horgan’s cabinet table. In 2014, Bill Bennett provided assurance that, unlike numerous Liberal megaprojects with runaway
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