First Nations communities ready for the grid

BRITISH COLUMBIA - Four small First Nations communities have officially hooked up to the BC Hydro power grid for the first time - one step in an ongoing process of helping improve residents' lives through technical improvements and economic development.

In what one official with the Lower St'at'imc Tribal Council LSTC said amounts to providing "better access to what most of us take for granted," those living in Q'aLaTku7em, Skatin, Port Douglas and Tipella - along with a host of invited guests - celebrated the electrification of the communities of the Southern St'at'imc Samahquam, Skatin and Douglas nations on November 12.

For decades, the communities of the Lillooet Lake/Harrison Lake corridor - stretching out along the In-SHUCK-ch Forest Service Road between Mount Currie and the Fraser Valley - had had high-tension BC Hydro transmission lines running overhead, but for technical reasons could not hook up to the grid.

But after negotiations and the recent infusion of some $32 million to put in two specially designed substations allowing workers to tie into the 360-kilovolt lines, and the addition of power lines linking the substations to the communities, they'll now be able to mothball the balky and eco-unfriendly diesel generators that have provided their only electricity until now.

In part, the breakthrough was made possible by recent independent power projects built in the Lillooet-Harrison corridor in conjunction with the In-SHUCK-ch by Cloudworks Energy, Nigel Protter, LSTC administrator, said.

"It probably would have happened without that, but probably not at this particular time," he said.

In addition to the new electrical infrastructure, the project of electrifying the communities also involved having electricians visit each of the 77 residents and five commercial buildings to ensure that they were up to building codes and could handle the new power source, Protter said.

"Some of the work we did was quite extensive... we played a big, central coordinating role in all this, and we're quite proud of it," Protter said, adding, "Electrification is step one, and we're hoping to work on governance next. It's one of a lot of pieces that are going to help establish a sustainable, self-determined lifestyle."

Protter said the new electricity is not three-phase power that can support the development of industry. The single-phase power, though, is adequate to support commercial, residential and office uses.

"It's part of the trajectory of where these bands know that they need to go," he said. "They want to build capacity so that members who are living off reserve can feel comfortable coming home and be part of their community, if they wish."

Gerard Peters Eppa, chief treaty negotiator for the In-SHUCK-ch Nation, said he was "excited" to see the communities tie into the BC Hydro grid some 60 years after the original transmission lines were installed.

Peters, who for two decades has been working on securing a treaty on behalf of the Samahquam and Skatin - the process is currently suspended after Douglas leaders announced late last year that their nation was withdrawing from that process - said treaty negotiations have been occurring concurrent with talks involving the St'at'imc Nation comprised of 11 bands in the region to bring about technical upgrades.

"B.C. Electric, the predecessor to BC Hydro, installed the line through the valley floor about 60 years ago now. At that time, the federal government was represented by the Indian Agent, and at that time the leadership on the Indian side was not as sophisticated as they are today," Peters said. "Many of them required interpreters. One of them was my friend the late Ron Gabriel, who translated for his grandfather.

"The fact of the connection finally occurring required a number of jurisdictions and entities to converge. We had the continuing role of BC Hydro, and I have to say that the St'at'imc Nation, in negotiating a larger hydro agreement, played a key role here."

Peters added that he thinks treaty negotiations also helped increase the profile of the nations within federal and provincial government circles and helped lead to this announcement.

He said he hopes the citizens and leadership of the Douglas Nation will see that and consider returning to the treaty process.

"We would not have made the progress on the technical issues had we not made significant progress in the treaty process. I hope that Douglas will see that," Peters said.

Peters said he thinks the next big project on the infrastructure front should be improvements to the In-SHUCK-ch road - not pavement, but at least a good, two-lane gravel surface.

"I'm going to take the opportunity to remind the province of B.C. to say that the connection to the grid is one thing, but improving the road is another important step and that needs to occur soon," he said. "We want it improved to the point where we don't have to worry about basic safety so that we can travel the road year-round."