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Wednesday, April 24, 2019 | Your community newspaper since 1916

CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE

Easter chicks Five barnyard mix chicks are the newest additions to The Exploration Place after hatching over the Easter weekend.

First Nations, province Hydro reservoirs hit record lows extend economic partnership Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca B.C.’s First Nations and the provincial government just finished a three-year trial relationship on new ways to address economic development. The program is called the B.C. Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN) Economic Strategy. On Lheidli T’enneh territory Tuesday, officials from both sides signed on for another two years. The strategy will be funded with $2.24 million in provincial funding. After an official welcome by Lheidli T’enneh First Nation elder Darlene McIntosh, the pact was signed by B.C.’s Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Scott Fraser, and Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee. Joining them at the signatory table were Lake Babine Nation’s former chief Wilf Adam and current Tahltan First Nation chief Rick Mclean. Both of these leaders are members of the Champions’ Table, a set of 11 First Nations leaders and 11 business leaders from across the province who sit together to exchange words towards the challenges and opportunities shared between their interests. This Champions’ Table was created as part of the BCAFN Economic Strategy and is administrated by the B.C. Business Council. A Prince George entrepreneur, Bob Redden of EDI Environmental Dynamics Inc., is a member of the Champions’ Table and he was in attendance at the signing ceremony. The conversation at the start of this collaboration happened in the lead-up to the 2016 launch of this initiative. It centred on how reconciliation could occur in an economic context. It was a response to how

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TEEGEE the First Nations of the province had been shut out of individual business projects and province-wide decision making as a habit. Proponent companies and provincial coffers had been taking steady income from the land and none of the revenue flowed to the traditional holders of that land, nor did much of the employment or economic spinoff. Court rulings and popular opinion were now squarely opposed to a continuation of this exclusionary way of doing business. The Assembly of First Nations economic development strategy was given life. “We are trying to erase those barriers and create a sustainable economy for our First Nations communities,” said Teegee, giving thanks to the provincial government for extending the life of this strategy. — see ‘THE ASSEMBLY, page 3

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Despite extreme weather leaving reservoirs at record low levels over the winter and challenges related to the Enbridge gas pipeline explosion, BC Hydro said Tuesday it managed to meet the electricity demand while keeping rates low over the past several months. A new BC Hydro report, titled Generational challenge: How B.C.’s generation system is adapting to extreme weather and unforeseen events, found the past 12 months demonstrate how extreme weather in B.C. can impact the utility’s reservoir levels. While Hydro has experience managing reservoir levels in low water years, October brought an unexpected challenge – the Enbridge pipeline explosion – which impacted wholesale market prices by creating an increased demand for electricity to replace gas-generating units that would have otherwise been able to run. The event came as the effects of a dry summer came into play. By October, its two biggest reservoirs – Williston on the Peace River and Kinbasket on the Columbia River – reached record seasonal lows. Indeed, dry conditions in the Williston basin resulted in four consecutive months of low inflows, with September, October and November being the third, second and fourth lowest in 60 years. The pipeline explosion reduced natural gas supply in B.C. and the Pacific Northwest to 80 per cent of normal, affecting wholesale market prices for both natural gas and electricity. In response, Hydro said planners took steps to secure a sufficient supply of imports to meet needs over the winter

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season – particularly in the event of a cold, dry winter and continued gas supply challenges. As it turned out, B.C. experienced a record-breaking cold February followed by the driest March on record in parts of the province. This resulted in more electricity being used than forecast, and less water remaining in Hydro’s reservoirs as demand for power remained high. In addition, independent power producers were down below projections due to the weather and unable to meet the increased demand. Cold and dry weather delayed the onset of the spring freshet; however, inflows into the reservoirs have started to increase in April with warmer weather and will soon start filling the reservoirs. While Hydro is predicting higher water flows resulting from climate change over the long term, unpredictable weather patterns are expected to continue in the years ahead. Hydro said it is working to ensure its system performs safely across a wide range of conditions and extreme events by: • Continuously working to improve the weather and inflow forecasting. For example, all coastal watersheds can now be forecasted down to the hour, which improves the forecast accuracy for extreme rainfall events. • Expanding its monitoring technology. This includes custom-made solutions that have been designed in-house, as well as upgrading snow survey stations to automated, real-time snow and climate stations. • Investing in capital projects – like spillway gate replacements – that will increase resiliency of the system to climate change.

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