B.C. First Nation views Site C dam as part of a devastating big picture

07/04/14
Author: 
Mark Hume

Cumulative impact is something the B.C. government does not like to talk about when consulting First Nations about resource developments. Government prefers to look at projects in isolation. So, Site C on the Peace River, for example, is assessed on its own, not in the context of all the oil-and-gas activity taking place in the region. That is not how native communities see things. To them, the question is not only what impact an individual project will have – but also what it will mean alongside all the other industrial activities in an area. And when game populations are dwindling, that becomes a crucial factor.