Marcus Leung's Blog

It has become an all too recurrent theme. A corporation wants to start a project in Northern British Columbia, but lo and behold, the land is traditionally owned by a First Nations tribe. BC Hydro has been trying to launch its Site C hydroelectric megaproject, but it seems like they still have unresolved issues with their First Nations partners in the area. The proposed project would destroy kilometres of farmland and wildlife habitat. Referencing external stakeholder theory, these indigenous people hold a heavy influence upon the business model of Hydro’s project, and the two sides must make peace before the project can move anywhere.

The approval of the Northern Gateway could result in much of Northern BC looking like this.

Another project which has attracted even larger media and public attention is the Northern Gateway Project by Enbridge, with many skeptics and activists complaining about the path that the oil will have to take to reach the coastline. This is another case of how a corporate organization’s business model can conflict with the interests and wellbeing of external stakeholders, as progress of the project has ceased to a halt while the two sides try to find a point of agreement. The true issue lies rooted in the fact that in past years, large corporations have acted with a blatant disregard for the environment and locals that their projects affect. I believe that if this trend continues, then future projects will only meet greater opposition from external shareholders, by First Nations and activists alike.

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