The premier and his three ministers cannot put this off any longer.
Conservative Party of B.C. leader John Rustad and I wrote a joint letter addressed to Premier David Eby, forests minister Ravi Parmar, energy minister Adrian Dix, and environment minister Tamara Davidson this week, calling on them to immediately meet with the Atlantic Power Williams Lake leadership team and BC Hydro head Glen Clark.
The Atlantic Power Williams Lake biomass plant may be forced to cease operations later this year if they cannot renegotiate their contract with BC Hydro. The renegotiation process has dragged on for months with no end in sight.
The premier and his three ministers cannot put this off any longer.
Atlantic Power is the single largest taxpayer in Williams Lake, providing $1.7 million in revenue. It generates enough clean power for 50,000 homes. It directly and indirectly employs 130 locals.
To lose this remarkable facility would be detrimental to Williams Lake and our province at large.
In conjunction with my letter, I launched an online petition at Change.org titled “Save Atlantic Power Williams Lake: Support the Local Economy & Green Energy.” Please search for it and sign the petition. You can also find the link on my public Facebook page. We have just about surpassed 1,500 signatures, so thank you for the support!
My federal counterpart, Cariboo–Prince George MP Todd Doherty, has added his voice on this topic, stating that if BC Hydro doesn’t increase the rates they pay, the plant will be forced to shut down. The Cariboo Regional District Board has also released a statement calling on the BC NDP government and BC Hydro to expedite contract negotiations.
A delegation from Williams Lake that includes the mayor, First Nations leaders, business executives, and union representatives may soon be descending upon the Legislature in Victoria.
This delegation is going to advocate to save Atlantic Power.
It simply doesn’t make sense for the government to allow a clean energy facility to close down when B.C.’s Clean Energy Act, which passed in 2010, mandates our province to achieve electricity self-sufficiency. By 2030, we must also generate 100 per cent of the electricity in B.C. from clean or renewable resources, and reduce waste by encouraging the use of waste heat, biogas, and biomass. This is what Atlantic Power already does.
Eby and his ministers can’t avoid this topic forever. The Williams Lake delegation is coming to Victoria whether they like it or not, because the people of Cariboo-Chilcotin deserve reassurance that they will have a prosperous future in this province.
Thank you again to everyone who signed the petition. Together, we will save Atlantic Power Williams Lake.
