Breaching the Peace: The Site C Dam and a Valley’s Stand Against Big Hydro

Environmental journalist Cox presents a well-researched, accessible history of the Site C dam, a British Columbia project that’s drawn international attention for pork barrel politics, violations of First Nations rights, and threats to the ecosystem in the Peace River Valley. With energetic prose and extensive on-the-ground reporting, Cox profiles the people and issues behind the divisive project. Especially powerful is her focus on a coalition of indigenous people, farmers, and other residents who, wary of the ill effects from past dam construction (including methyl-mercury poisoning, shifts in wildlife migration patterns, and flooding of indigenous territories), have fought to preserve a region described as a northern Garden of Eden. Illustrating how large dams are often linked to political power brokerage and grandiose legacy projects, Cox ably undermines the arguments of proponents who tout the dam as a source of clean energy and jobs. Equally informative are descriptions of divide-and-rule policies applied across the province to impose energy projects on ambivalent rural communities with extremely limited economic alternatives. With the fate of the dam still subject to court challenges and protests, this comprehensive overview is a valuable primer with wide appeal to readers interested in renewable energy, climate change, and the ever-shifting strategies of energy corporations. (May)