A plurality of British Columbians—49%—want the $9-billion Site C hydro megaproject subjected to further study or cancelled outright, just a year after the provincial utility, BC Hydro, claimed “broad support” for the controversial project.
New polling by Angus Reid shows that 32% of New Democrats, 30% of Green Party supporters, and 3% of B.C. Liberals want the project cancelled now, while 43% of New Democrats, 34% of Greens, and 15% of Liberals support further project review.
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By comparison, 50% in the same poll support cancellation or further review for Kinder Morgan’s proposed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, with 45% of New Democrats, 33% of Greens, 3% of Liberals, and 26% overall calling for cancellation.
“Reader-funded polling commissioned by DeSmog Canada last fall indicated that if demand for more power arises in the future, nine in ten British Columbians support investing in energy efficiency measures (92%) and adding more wind, solar, and geothermal power to the grid as needed (also 92%),” the B.C.-based news outlet recalls. “Just over a third (37%) favour building large hydro dams.”
The same poll found that “73% of British Columbians support sending the Site C dam for an independent review of both costs and demand, something the NDP-Green alliance has vowed to do immediately upon taking power,” DeSmog notes.
