October sets another Site C workforce record

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Site C again broke two employment records.

According to BC Hydro, the project had 5,554 workers in October, setting a new record for overall employment. The record was previously broken in September with 5,420 total workers.

The dam site also had a record number of women working on the project at 621, breaking the previous record 0f 589 set in September.

Bob Gammer with BC Hydro said the increase is due to the amount of work being done at Site C, as many projects are completed or nearing completion.

“With all of those [projects] going on, 2022 was the busiest construction year for the Site C project,” Gammer said.

“We expect employment numbers to decline in 2023 and 2024 as we get to the completion of the project, and then it will be fully in service in 2025, is our expectation.”

Just under 3,000 dam workers, or 62 per cent, were B.C. residents in October, according to the report.

Over 1,000 workers were from the Peace River Regional District, making up 23 per cent of the total workforce.

BC Hydro also said they had 185 apprentices and 413 self-declared Indigenous people on the site in October.