My classmate, Annabelle Kovacs, recently wrote a blog post about a BC Hydro proposition to create a new hydroelectric dam on the First Nations’ sacred land.  Her views on the topic are in favor of the First Nations, and saving their land is more important than the clean and renewable energy produced from this megaproject.

I am taking the opposing view on this debate because hydro power is a source of energy that is relatively never ending and doesn’t have many drastic environmental concerns.  Yes, it does harm the wildlife’s habitat, but the pros in this case outweigh the cons of forcing the animals to find other places to live.  100 years of “cost-effective electricity” can not only benefit the people of today, but it will go as far to help out their grandchildren and possibly even their grandchildren’s kids. Annabelle feels keeping the integrity of the First Nations ‘sacred land’ is more important than all of this.  The First Nations are stubborn in some way because they are living in the past. In this day and age, there must be development in all aspects of life to keep up with a changing world. Their customs and beliefs should be practiced forever, but there comes a point in time where the government needs to put their foot down and get the final say in what is done or not done in the country.

Renewable, clean and cheap energy is something everyone in our world is looking for. If there is an opportunity right in front of us, why not take it to help out people for generations to come.  Making everyone happy is a goal of BC Hydro and the government, but there is a time when long term outcomes supersede the minor cons faced in the present day.

News Source: https://blogs.ubc.ca/annabellekovacs/2014/10/07/bc-hydro-vs-aboriginals/

PictureSources: http://images.glaciermedia.ca/polopoly_fs/1.58735.1413384466!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_563/site-c-dam-map.jpg

http://warriorpublications.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/bc-hydro-site-c-dam-drawing.jpg