Site C breaks workforce record for fifth time in 2023

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Site C has broken its monthly overall workforce record for the fifth time this year in June as it continues to complete milestones in order to fill the reservoir being filled this fall.

The dam project had 6,069 people working for the site in June, compared to 5,985 in May when the record was last set.

Earlier this year, BC Hydro’s Site C Community Relations Manager Bob Gammer said that the increase of Site C workers would continue as they look to prepare for the reservoir filling.

According to BC Hydro, 977 Site C workers in June were Peace region residents, accounting for 19 per cent of the workforce.

There were 3,130 people who were B.C. primary residents working on the project, accounting for 60 per cent of the workforce.

The number of apprentices decreased from 323 in May to 310 the following month.

The report also provides the number of Indigenous people that worked on Site C, adding that workers voluntarily self-declared their Indigenous status to the employer. There were 539 Indigenous workers in June.

BC Hydro said 595 women worked on the dam project in June.

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.