Site C dam project forces expropriation of B.C. farm family this spring
VICTORIA — A farmer in northeast British Columbia is still hopeful that he’ll get to stay in his home, despite an announcement by BC Hydro that the company plans to seize the property to make way for a controversial hydroelectric project.
Jessica McDonald, BC Hydro’s president and CEO, said Monday that the company is expropriating Ken and Arlene Boon’s property to allow for the start of highway realignment work linked to the $8.8-billion Site C dam project.
The Boons must be out of their home by May 31, but they will be allowed to continue farming their land for two more years, McDonald said. The agreement allowing the Boons to stay on the property temporarily was not reached by consent but was signed last week by the family and the B.C. government, she said.
“We were not able to come to a consensual agreement with the Boons and so we have acquired their property through expropriation,” said McDonald at a Site C project briefing with reporters. “We have agreed with the Boons that they will remain in their home until the end of May and that they will have the rights and ability to continue farming the land for an additional two year period of time.”