BC Hydro’s hydroelectric megaproject, Site C, will not only impose adverse effects on the First Nations, but also building a dam will cause negative evironmental impacts. The Aboriginal community is confident in shutting down site C because the “Crown can only justify infringing on Aboriginal title lands by “demonstrating both a compelling and substantial governmental objective,” and that the broader benefits “must not be outweighed by adverse effects on the Aboriginal interest” (O’Niel). The question here is ‘to what extent can we judge whether the adverse effects on the aboriginal community outweighs the government objective?’ I personally believe that Aboriginal interest can only be sacrificed when the government objective greatly benefits a large group of people. However, in this case with Site C, BC is not in shortage of energy and the environmental impacts of building a dam should also be considered. For example, the Three Gorges Dam in China may have been the reason behind the multiple droughts and possibly even the 2012 earthquake. Therefore before building Site C, the negative effects on the Aboriginals and the environment should both be put into careful consideration. Nevertheless, BC Hydro is related to the government and the government would most likely by approval of this project because “B.C. will need new energy and new capacity at some point,” but “the proponent has not fully demonstrated the need for the project on the timetable set forth” (O’Niel). This implies that the project will eventually be approved and launched, just not anytime soon. Thus, it will be a long fight for the aboriginals to protect their traditions and land.

Works Cited

O’Niel, Peter. “First Nation Chiefs to Stage Site C Showdown.”Www.vancouversun.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2014.

Fish Lake. Digital image.Http://wpmedia.news.nationalpost.com/2014/06/fish-lake.jpg?w=620. N.p., n.d. Web.

Digital image. Http://travelmedia.hellobc.com/stories/ancient-ways–modern-adventures–aboriginal-touris.aspx?feed=TravelMediaStories. N.p., n.d. Web.