It was just over four years ago that we first became aware of the enormous threat to BC's wild rivers and public power system, posed by our provincial government's Energy Plan and their friends in the private power business.

In the short time since then this issue has grown from one that few of us in the environmental movement knew about to a major province wide issue.

This huge shift in public consciousness was driven by people just like you grassroots activist who shared their concerns about BC’s wild rivers with their friends and neighbours. People attended public meetings to say no to river privatization and they and picked up pen and paper to write letters to the editor about the erosion of our public power system. This citizen activism meant some really bad projects such as the Upper Pitt and Glacier Howser were stopped in their tracks. That is why I am really excited to let you know about a great new tool that will soon be available to help community activists like yourselves.

Documentary film-maker Damien Gillis, director of the Powerplay videos, and BC Citizens for Public Power have just finished a new film called PEOPLE POWER: Building Social Movements to Protect Public Power in Canada and will be premiering it Sunday, October 3rd in the Joseph & Rosalie Segal Conference Rooms at SFU Harbour Centre in Vancouver at 6 pm.

The film is also going to be taken on tour across the province, from the Kootenays to the Sunshine Coast, from the Sea to Sky to Vancouver Island, as well as more events in the Lower Mainland.

If you would like to attend the premier in Vancouver and hear from Damien and Greenpeace International co-founder, Rex Weyler and be amongst the very first to see a screening of this exciting new film. Please RSVP to staff@citizensforpublicpower.ca or call 604.681.5939. The event is free, but space is limited.

Damien's new film is not only a call to action for the growing movement to protect public power and BC rivers and streams but a step-by-step guide on how to take action to protect our environment and other key public assets. It's also a great reminder of all the great work this movement has done already. The film is full of images from actions that helped save the Upper Pitt River, Bute Inlet and Glacier and Howser Creeks from destruction by private power corporations.

I hope you can come out and join us to celebrate the release of this great film. A film that will be an important tool for protecting our rivers and streams, and a powerful reminder of what we can do when we stand together.

As Rex Weyler says “The only force between us and the complete loss of our natural resources are the people themselves.”

See you at the event!

Gwen Barlee | Policy Director
Wilderness Committee