Ah Yes - Democracy is comin'

Cap imposed on participant funding for the Site C dam assessment

Josh Paterson of the WCELA says “A maximum of $19,000 per group is an unreasonably low amount of funding
for community groups to participate in the multi-year Site C review process. This is a gigantic, nearly $8 billion project that will have
impacts on communities from BC right through to the Northwest Territories.”

“There's no way" this enough to allow the meaningful participation in a process filled with complicated evidence,legal
maneuvering and thousands of pages of complex data.

A Joint Review Panel Process will conduct hearings on behalf of both CEAA and the BC Environmental Assessment Office. “Effective
participation requires hiring experts who can review BC Hydro’s studies and hold them accountable,” says Andrea Morison, Coordinator for PVEA, which successfully prevented two previous attempts to get the dam approved. “This will cost us tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, something we, as a small, largely volunteer group, cannot afford” she adds.

"There is a long history of vocal public opposition to Site C,” says Tria Donaldson of the Wilderness Committee. “The paltry funding CEEA has set aside for non-profits is totally insufficient - it appears clearly designed to silence the very valid and very serious concerns of
non-profit groups,”

Josh Paterson, Staff Counsel at 604.601.2512 or toll free at 1-800-330-9235 x. 212