Site C's Impact on Humans

Besides the impact on wildlife (see previous posts), the proposed Site C dam would have many detrimental effects on people.

First Nations
Much of the land to be flooded is under treaty, and all of it is traditional territory of First Nations people. Treaty 8, signed in 1899, promises the aboriginal people that the land given to them will be theirs forever "for as long as the sun shines, the grass grows and the rivers flow." (For more on this, see Steve Roe's upcoming article in the Northeast News, Jan. 21.) Flooding this land would be a breach of the hope that they were given. With pressure being placed on them by various types of industry and development, the loss of the river and valley would be devastating to their culture.

Loss of agricultural land
Site C would flood high quality farmland, an increasingly valued natural resource. The Peace River Valley is home to the only Class One agricultural land in northern B.C., and much of the land within the proposed flood zone is Class One and Two. The loss of this land would threaten food security in the north of the province, where people would be forced to rely mostly on food shipped from distant places.

Watch for more on the human impacts . . .