For all the lingering controversies, B.C. Hydro continues to signal full speed ahead on construction of the giant hydroelectric dam at Site C on the Peace River.
"1,200 rooms now open at Site C worker lodge," was the headline on the press release from the government-owned utility at the outset of the week.
If calling it a "lodge" sounds like they're putting on airs, be advised that this is not your father's construction work camp.
"The accommodations will feature single-occupancy bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, television and Wi-Fi services," according to the press release.
"In addition, workers will have access to a fitness facility that will include cardio equipment and a weight training area."
Nor is the price tag low budget. Hydro's contract with the Calgary-based builder and operator of the worker accommodations for Site C is valued at almost half a billion dollars over eight years.
Though the mostly-from-B.C. workforce on the project is already nearing 1,600, not everyone needs a room.
About 450 of them hail from the Peace region itself, according to a recent tally reported by the Alaska Highway News.
Several hundred additional workers are expected to swarm over the site in the fall to start building the main civil engineering works, including the concrete base for the generating station and preliminary work on diversion tunnels for the river.
All in keeping with Premier Christy Clark's vow, voiced at the outset of the year, to get Site C "to the point of no return" before the election.
With construction underway and
$3 billion worth of contracts locked in, the project is close to that point already in the B.C. Liberals' estimation.
Still, significant risks remain, as Hydro itself acknowledged in a progress report delivered to the B.C. Utilities Commission last month. The report cites the geotechnical risks of building along that stretch of the river, a longstanding concern in the region and a factor in the collapse of the Peace River bridge at Taylor in 1957.
"Key geotechnical risks" spelled out in one unsettling passage in the report include "unexpected shears encountered during construction; deeper than expected relaxation joints; bedding planes worse than expected; larger than expected deterioration of shale bedrock once exposed during construction; and rock rebound/swell."
Sounds expensive.
Hydro says it has taken steps to mitigate those risks, conducting field trials and pressuring contractors to assume some of the financial burden. It has also given contractors leeway "to respond to unexpected ground conditions, potentially through pre-agreed pricing."
Which would put ratepayers on the hook as well.
Nor are these geotechnical concerns merely hypothetical, as the report went on to disclose: "Events associated with this risk have occurred on the North Bank gulley crossing, where unexpected slope failure occurred. B.C. Hydro has been working with the contractor to provide an engineered solution, and expects to address this issue within available funds. Once the main civil works contract is beginning excavation B.C. Hydro will have additional information about this risk."
Considering that the latter contract is pegged at $1.75 billion, ratepayers may wish to hold their breath, pending an update.
Hydro also flagged potential delays brought on by holdups in permitting, particularly arising from legal challenges by First Nations.
"Permits and licences are still required for several portions of construction activity. Delays to these permits and licences will result in delays to the associated construction work. B.C. Hydro continues to consult with federal and provincial authorities, local government and First Nations to mitigate this risk. If B.C. Hydro is unsuccessful, this could result in a delay to the work underway and (financial) claims arising."
The company is obliged to consult and accommodate the interests of a dozen First Nations whose traditional territories straddle the region. It has already reached settlements with some of them, the latest announced just Wednesday with the Alberta-based Dene Tha' First Nation.
But the Prophet River and West Moberly First Nation are fighting the project in court after turning down offers that together amounted to millions of dollars in compensation and hundreds of hectares of crown land.
Their case will be heard in the federal court of appeal starting in September. Though lower courts have rejected earlier challenges to Site C - including theirs - the outcome might be different this time because of the recent federal court of appeal decision against the Enbridge Northern Gateway project.
Enbridge, like Hydro, engaged extensively with First Nations along the pipeline route through northern B.C. But the court found the federal government had failed to demonstrate that it had lived up to its primary constitutional obligations to consult and accommodate the interests of First Nations.
Similar considerations could be at play in the Site C appeal. For a federal-provincial joint review panel found that the dam and reservoir would have "significant adverse effects" on aboriginal fishing, hunting, trapping and other traditional rights.
Moreover these "could not be mitigated" because the land would be flooded for all time.
Against that backdrop, comes mounting pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to respect his election platform commitments to First Nations and rescind approval for Site C.
Privately, I've heard a concern from the B.C. Liberals that the feds may hold off further permitting, pending a clear signal from the courts.
In short for all Premier Clark's determination, there are still some potential obstacles to her goal of making Site C a fait accompli before the next election.