Over 100 parties interested in repurposing Site C work camp, B.C. Hydro says 

bring down, reuse, reprocess — that's a possible futurity for the $470-million land site C act camp, a facility soon to be decommissioned by B.C. Hydro following completion of the $16-billion dam.  

In April, it was reported that the 1,700-person work camp, located just outside Fort St. John in northeastern B.C., could be headed to the local landfill. 

Site C community relations manager Bob Gammer says B.C. Hydro is optimistic the facility can be repurposed, with over 100 parties expressing interest, including First Nations, an addictions recovery centre, and tourism operators.

"Discussions continue on repurposing the facility with interested parties and currently, we have not self-imposed a time limit on receiving expressions of interest," Gammer said in a written statement.

Massive work camp opens in northeastern B.C.

Peace River Regional District (PRRD) Area C director Brad Sperling says sending the camp to the dump would end the North Peace Regional Landfill's operational life due to the massive amounts of material.

"That would be the end of the North Peace landfill. It would be done," said Sperling.

Building a new landfill can take up to a decade, he said, a $10- to $20-million redevelopment expense the PRRD typically saves for years in advance.

Sperling says Old Fort residents have been "put through hell" over the past decade of construction, and want the camp removed. The camp and dam are located roughly five kilometres away from residents' homes. 

"They've put up with the traffic and the noise for the last 10 years and more, and they've been good about it, knowing that someday that's all going to end," said Sperling.  

He said the PRRD pushed back on previous Site C waste, forcing B.C. Hydro to send truck loads of Styrofoam elsewhere. 

"We put our foot down on that, because they just thought it was easy enough just to haul it to us and let us bury it. But yet when we put up a bit of a fight over it, well they actually found someone who would take all that Styrofoam," he said.

Geoff Greenwell, CEO of First Peoples Venture Capital Corp., says 25 First Nations are lobbying B.C. Hydro for the camp, including Halfway River, Saulteau, Lheidli T'enneh, Haida and Metlakatla. 

"I think our group's biggest frustration, perhaps, is we don't feel we're being taken seriously, you know. And there's a history of government not taking First Nations seriously or not believing in the credibility of those nations," said Greenwell, a non-Indigenous business adviser assisting the 25 nations.

The buildings could be used to meet a need for on-reserve housing, where zoning requirements are more lax, with nations ready to pay the relocation costs, added Greenwell. 

"These are nations that have been deemed impacted by this project and have impact benefit agreements with B.C. Hydro. So, I'm puzzled as to why [B.C. Hydro] wouldn't particularly want to kind of keep those First Nations happy," said Greenwell in regard to the Saulteau and Halfway River nations' interest.

Another group hoping to use the camp is the North Winds Wellness Centre in Pouce Coupe, 70 kilometres southeast of Site C, which is seeking to scale up a treatment program for mental health and addictions.

Partnering with Pomegranate Housing Consultancy, the non-profit society envisions a "national wellness centre for excellence," offering additional treatment beds, vocational training, housing for health-care workers and research into mental health and addictions. 

North Winds executive director Isaac Hernandez says they want all of their services under one roof, which would prevent a "revolving door" of relapses. 

"We do have a lot of problems going in the province and across the nation. But all the programs are isolated, they are apart from each other," said Hernandez. 

Pomegranate CEO Mukthar Latif says a national centre has the potential to accommodate the needs of B.C. And other provinces. 

North Winds broke ground on a first-of-its-kind First Nations healing centre in June, with five detox beds, 10 addiction treatment beds, 40 self-contained supportive housing units and a community hub. 

Latif says an order-in-council by the provincial government is needed to change B.C. Hydro's mandate to decommission the camp, allowing it to stay. 

"All of these are big dreams at the moment. The key that we're concentrating on at the moment is to get the order-in-council," explained Latif.

There are scrap metal dealers, concrete recyclers and salvage companies capable of dismantling the camp, noted Sperling. 

"They could recycle, reuse — what happened to those options? Where's Hydro's responsibility to do that? I mean, the province is constantly after regional districts, municipalities, residents to reuse, recycle," said Sperling.

Reporter, Fort St. John

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