One of his key issues was the lack of evidence justifying the projects.
“The government hasn’t made any case that it can’t provide power,” said Mair.
His second major contention was that the projects are large enough in scale to have long-lasting environmental impacts, disrupting sensitive fish habitat from stream diversion, and the building of roads and transmission lines to the harvesting sites.
“These things are huge. They’re eyesores and they have a huge impact on the environment,” he stated. “It’s destruction of the ecology.”
Mair’s third, and potentially most heartfelt point, is the loss of BC Hydro as a public asset. He admits that there was a huge environmental cost associated with the dam projects under Premier W.C. Bennett, but that it was established as a public asset. Steps toward privatization of BC Hydro are already in place, with Accenture purchasing a portion of the company in 2003.
Mair believes that the current debt incurred from purchasing overpriced electricity will have to be carried by taxpayers.
“It’s not a wild-eyed left wing projection to see that the province will have to default on that debt,” forecasts Mair.
Mair, a Socred cabinet minister from 1975-1981 under premier William Richard Bennett, says that the grassroots level of government then had individuals with a vested interest in the environment championing environmental causes.
“If we were a right-wing government in those days, this government is so right wing it’s out of sight,” said Mair of Campbell’s Liberal government.
Calling current Minister of Environment Barry Penner a wimp, Mair feels there hasn’t been an effective Minister of Environment for years.
Mair encouraged residents to get informed, learn where their elected officials stand on the IPP issue, and to explore alternatives to run-of-river projects.
“I’m not carrying a political axe,” he stated, noting that he wasn’t endorsing the NDP.
“This is a political issue, but it’s not a party political issue.”
For more information on the Save our Rivers projects, visit www.saveourrivers.ca.