File Photo (Image Credit: The Canadian Press)

By Doug Collins

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: Eby goes to secret ‘money tree’ for hydro funding

Jan 19, 2024 | 6:00 AM

PREMIER DAVID EBY CONTINUED to prepare for the October 19 provincial election Wednesday (Jan. 17) by announcing a multi-billion-dollar plan to increase our power grid to prepare for the future. First of all of course, this $36-billion plan is contingent upon the NDP being re-elected in October. If not, the capital plan could change drastically, and as we’ve seen with our cancer facility in Kamloops, even if the government gets re-elected, it doesn’t mean the plans will be carried out.

Wednesday’s announcement talks about the priority of new transmission lines to adapt to changing needs, it talks about supplying more power to the Lower Mainland and the Prince George-to-Terrace corridor to meet proposed increases in demand along that route. It does mention using more solar and wind power to supplement power generation from dams.

What it doesn’t mention is how we’re going to meet the goals in the plan. Wind power, in particular, will probably only be a limited resource because it has environmental problems of its own. The announcement mentions new high-speed transmission lines to move power, but it doesn’t give much information as to where this power will originate once the Site C dam is functioning. If our current drought continues, the current dam system will suffer as water levels drop, and it’s going to be a crapshoot to find alternate sources. The premier kind of glossed over that in his announcement. Surprise! We have high-speed lines but nothing to put through them.

And where is the money to come from? With all that needs to be spent on health care, climate control issues, housing and transportation among others, I envision some people with those green bankers’ shades on, deep down in the caverns of the legislative buildings, cranking out the money as fast as they can, and shouting, “Mr. Premier, you’ve got to slow down! We can’t keep up!” And the smoke starts billowing up from the machines as they turn faster and faster.

But you know the most interesting thing about the announcement? There was absolutely no mention of working with Indigenous nations to make this plan work. Those same nations whose support is needed to allow all these changes to take place, many of them on their traditional lands.

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Of course, the heavy-handed Eby probably isn’t too worried about bulldozing his way through another boondoggle. That’s just his nature, it would seem.

I’m Doug Collins and that’s One Man’s Opinion.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.