Kootenay East MLA Tom Shypitka May 17 addressed the Legislature to raise questions about why the ruling NDP has sat back and allowed construction costs of the Site C dam to balloon from $8.7 billion to $16 billion, all under the watch of Premier John Horgan and his government.

“It’s a fact that this government has withheld access to all relevant BC Hydro and documents regarding Site C safety issues and costs. This includes the full Milburn report which was commissioned by B.C. but never released; impacting the public and First Nations in particular. This also includes all the supporting documents and two geotechnical reports. Access to this information would also address the burning question; what is the basis for the new $16 billion price tag?” Shypitka asked.

“But yet as the budget seems to grow uncontrollably – so too does the reluctance of this government to shed a little light on what’s gone wrong, Site C now holds the somewhat dubious distinction of being the most expensive dam in Canadian history,” he added. “That’s quite an achievement. It’s times like these that harken memories of Premier Glen Clark and the New Democrats in the 1990s. We all remember the NDP government’s showcase project to modernize our fleet of B.C. ferries.”

Shypitka recalled how the cost of the NDP’s fast ferry program from the original estimate of $200 million to almost double that. All three fast ferries ended up being dry docked for years before being sold-off to the Washington Marine Group for $19 million.

See MLA Shypitka’s full address to the Legislature.

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