Site C reports further drop in employment for April

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Employment continues to decline at the Site C hydroelectric dam project, according to BC Hydro.

The utility’s latest employment metrics say 1,449 workers in total were employed at the facility in April, down from 1,578 people in March.

The number of people working at the site is expected to continue dropping as the project’s completion date this fall approaches.

The report claims 74 per cent of the construction and non-construction contractors employed at the site were primary BC residents, down from 80 per cent in March. Of those, 23 per cent were primary Peace region residents.

The actual number of people working on the project who live within the region fell very slightly, from 221 to 211.

The number of Indigenous workers at the site dropped to 49 (three per cent) in April after increasing to 61 (four per cent) the month prior, and the number of women also dropped from 185 (12 per cent) to 164 (11 per cent).

BC Hydro also says the number of apprentices working at the facility declined slightly, from 54 in March to 52 (both three per cent) in April.

The Site C facility is on track to be fully operational by the fall of 2025, but there have been speed bumps along the way, including some recent issues involving local beavers.