News Release: David Suzuki and Grand Chief Phillip Stand with Rocky Mountain Fort Camp in Opposition to Site C at BC Hydro Injunction Hearing

NEWS RELEASE

February 22, 2016

David Suzuki and Grand Chief Phillip Stand with Rocky Mountain Fort Camp in Opposition to Site C at BC Hydro Injunction Hearing

(Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, B.C. – February 22, 2016) The Stewards of the Land at the Rocky Mountain Fort Camp on the Peace River have been dragged into the Supreme Court of British Columbia for protecting their way of life.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, asks “Why? The nonsensical reasoning seems to be because the Peace River has been dammed twice, why not once more? Because enough is enough. Without question, the proposed Site C project would represent a dam too far! The hydro power of Site C is not for families or communities here in BC. It is for proposed mining projects in northern BC and for customers in California. The actions of BC Hydro in court today is to purposefully target, censor, intimidate and silence the peaceful camp of Treaty 8 members and landowners at Rocky Mountain Fort Camp. BC Hydro filing a civil claim against individuals at the Rocky Mountain Fort Camp.”

UBCIC continues to denounce BC Hydro's deliberately provocative and thuggish efforts to fast track construction on the proposed Site C project to the ‘point of no return’ despite the legal uncertainties of the process, the real value of this make-work mega-project and the potential impact on global climate change.

David Suzuki stated "As a citizen concerned about the threat of climate change, I believe BC and Canada must develop a comprehensive plan to reduce emissions that looks at all aspects of the way we live and work. That means we cannot have a food system in which food is transported over vast distances from where it is made to where it is consumed. Food will have to be much more locally grown and consumed and that means breadbaskets like the Peace valley will be critical to providing food to the north."

Grand Chief Phillip concluded “UBCIC continues to insist the BC and Canadian governments respect Treaty 8’s current court proceedings by immediately ceasing the preparatory work of the proposed Site C dam site until Treaty 8’s court proceedings are decided upon and the Site C Dam proposal is properly vetted and reviewed by the BC Utilities Commission.”

MEDIA CONTACT

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip: 250-490-5314