Not only is the panel conducting its hearings during the holiday season, it is refusing to hold any in populous southern B.C. and is requiring the public to submit written submissions by Monday, said national campaign director Joe Foy.

 

"This is shameful," Foy said. "I am very surprised to see these onerous rules on public participation in Site C."

 

Hearings will begin in Fort St. John on Dec. 9 and continue until Dec. 19, then resume Jan. 6 to Jan. 23. Hearings will also be held in Hudson's Hope, Prince George, Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, and Peace River. On the timing of the hearings, Foy said: "That's perhaps the unkindest cut of all. At a time when British Columbians are rightly preoccupied with spending cherished time with their family members, the Site

 

The Site C hearings have been scheduled to try to sneak through unnoticed ... Ottawa and Victoria are behaving like old Mr. Grinch. " The joint review is being conducted for the federal and B.C. governments.

 

In response, panel spokeswoman Lucille Jamault said that according to the panel's terms of reference and its timelines, once BC Hydro's environmental impact statement has been received and the panel has sufficient information, it must proceed to public hearing.

 

By having all written submissions received by Monday, the panel and all participants, including BC Hydro, can review the information in advance of the hearings, she said, adding that every review panel establishes its own procedures for hearings and public participation.

 

BC Hydro proposes to construct an earth-fill dam 1,050 metres long and 60 metres high, a 1,100-megawatt generating station, an 83-kilometrelong reservoir, realignment of four sections of Highway 29, and two 77-km transmission lines connecting Site C to the provincial power grid.