BCBusiness

B C Hyd ro C E O Je s sic a McDonald was hired in 2014 with the mandate to push forward the contro- versial $9-billion Site C dam—the biggest infrastructure project in the province's history. Despite outstanding legal challenges from First Nations and discontent from landowners, she recently signed a $1.5-billion deal to begin con- struction. Working hand-in-hand with her is Site C proj- ect director Diane McSherry, who has ushered in the trucks to carve out access roads, build foundations and set up temporary work camps. McDonald's position is that Site C is the right solution to provide clean, reliable and affordable electricity for future generations, and that almost a decade of research and consultation has been enough. Gwen Johansson, mayor of the tiny community of Hudson's Hope in northeastern B.C., is not so sure. "Site C has always been a solution looking for a problem," she says. "We decided to build the dam, and then we went looking for where we could use the power. It seems to me that the process is backwards." She has been a con- sistent voice for Hudson's Hope, long advocating for the oversight of the B.C. Utilities Commission, which was excused from its usual role in scrutinizing public projects by the BC Liberal government in 2010. According to Hydro's own figures, she argues, we don't need the power now. By 2024, when the project is scheduled to begin providing electricity, other less- invasive technologies like wind, solar and geothermal might well be better options. Johansson lives in the area of the Peace River valley that would be flooded by the 83-kilometre- long reservoir. But she is careful to keep her personal feelings out of the public conversation, and her measured tones are perhaps part of her appeal. She lists off significant losses the dam would incur: agricultural land, statu- tory right-of-way for the realigned highway, and a beautiful sce- nic drive from Fort St. John to Hudson's Hope. "The one thing that everybody in Hudson's Hope can agree on is that we should get something from this, because we stand to lose a lot." o h a n s s o n is not the only leader of a sma l l northern com- munit y facing big changes imposed by natural resource projects. Lori Ackerman, mayor of Fort St. John, has seen the negative impacts of the LNG boom, includ- ing stretched health services and depleted affordable housing, and she has steadfastly worked to make sure Fort St. John will ben- efit from Site C. Meanwhile Karen Ogen, chief of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation outside of Burns Lake, has successfully negotiated for the rights and economic interests of her nation in a local mining proj- ect. She has also supported two proposed pipelines that would cross her nation's land—a position that has put her at odds with local hereditary chiefs. • 48 BCBUSINESS MARCH 2016 NIK WEST; BENJAMIN HAAB Resource Wrangling FROM SITE C TO LNG TO LOCAL MINES, THESE FIVE WOMEN HAVE INFLUENTIAL VOICES IN DECIDING HOW–AND FOR WHOSE BENEFIT– B.C.'S NATURAL RESOURCES ARE DEVELOPED b y M A R C I E G O O D W O M E N O F I N F L U E N C E : T H E P O W E R T O D I S R U P T POWER PLAYER BC Hydro CEO Jessica McDonald was deputy minister for premier Gordon Campbell

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