CUPE delegates call for moratorium on private power

Emergency resolution at union’s annual convention targets run-of-river projects in B.C.

VICTORIA— Delegates to the 46th annual convention of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, B.C. division, unanimously passed an emergency resolution today that calls for an integrated sustainable energy plan and an end to private power projects in B.C.

The resolution, which calls for a moratorium on run-of-river private power projects such as Plutonic Power’s massive Bute Inlet Hydroelectric Project, also urges CUPE BC to make a priority of passing the same resolution at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) convention in September.

The resolution was first passed by the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) at its regional meeting on April 5. It also calls for the repeal of Bill 30 and the restoration of local government rights and proper environmental assessments. Bill 30 limits local government decision-making and allows community and environmental concerns, like those regarding the proposed Bute Inlet project, to be overridden.

“Our members are adding their voice to that of local governments, to demand that the BC Liberals stop their unwarranted attack on public power, and restore local government’s right to have a real say on projects in our communities,” said CUPE BC president Barry O’Neill, commenting on the resolution.