Site C employment numbers drop due to weather and completion of milestones

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Site C employment numbers dropped again in October as cold weather hit the region.

The Site C project had 4,903 people working for the site in October, compared to 5,442 in September.

According to Site C community relations manager Bob Gammer, there were two reasons for the decrease in employment numbers from September to October.

Gammer says the project is starting to wind down as there are fewer work fronts. 

Reservoir clearing, transmission lines, earthfill dam, Highway 29 realignment and bridges, and fish habitat enhancement are completed or nearly finished.

He says the number of workers also typically dips in the winter as the work schedule is reduced due to the cold weather.

“Workforce numbers are expected to drop even lower in November and December,” Gammer said.

According to BC Hydro, 892 Site C workers were Peace region residents, accounting for 22 per cent of the project’s construction and non-construction contractors workforce.

“The number of local workers – residents within the Peace River Regional District – dropped by only 12 people from September to October,” Gammer added.

There were 3,296 B.C. primary residents working on the project, accounting for 67 per cent of the workforce.

The number of apprentices decreased from 310 in September to 280 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 381 Indigenous workers in October.

The reservoir filling will begin on schedule in the fall of 2024 instead of an early start this fall as anticipated by BC Hydro.

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