CORRECTION: Site C employment numbers on a downtrend

CORRECTION: The original article had outdated information and has been updated to provide the most recent employment numbers.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Site C employment numbers dropped in September as the region moves into the fall and the reservoir filling approaches.

The dam project had 5,442 people working for the site in September, compared to 5,808 in August.

According to BC Hydro, 904 Site C workers were Peace region residents, accounting for 20 per cent of the project’s construction and non-construction contractors workforce.

There were 3,475 B.C. primary residents working on the project, accounting for 64 per cent of the workforce.

The number of apprentices decreased from 375 in August to 310 the following month.

The report also provides the number of Indigenous people who worked on Site C, adding that workers voluntarily self-declared their Indigenous status to the employer. There were 472 Indigenous workers in September.

BC Hydro said 536 women worked on the dam project in September.

Last year, in a quarterly report, BC Hydro said it could begin the process of filling the Site C reservoir as early as this fall.

The reservoir filling process will take four months at a varying rate of 0.3 to two metres per day. Once completed, the reservoir will be approximately three times wider than the Peace River.

The deepest parts of the reservoir will be approximately 52 metres near the dam, with shallower areas around Hudson’s Hope being 18 metres.