Our mission

By promoting positive models of energy democracy, ED4BC aims to ensure that local communities benefit from the electricity generated at dams. We also advocate for improved management of dams to mitigate against their harmful impacts.

Community Organizing Brought Lasting Benefits to Columbia Basin Residents

The Columbia Basin Trust was created in 1995 following successful grassroots organizing, in co-operation with First Nations, by those who were impacted by regional dams. Today, the Trust ensures that they receive lasting social, economic, and environmental benefits from dam operations.

In the 2023/2024 fiscal year, these benefits totalled $80.8 million, with key grants and loans including:

• $2.3 million to seniors’ centers in Kaslo, Nakusp, Salmo, and Sparwood for backup power systems and emergency preparedness upgrades

• $2 million for ecosystem restoration, including a grant to Golden’s Rod and Gun Club to work with the Ktunaxa Nation Council Guardians on elk habitat improvement

• $13 million in new business loans, supporting small businesses and food producers

• Since 2015, $47.2 million has gone to housing initiatives, enabling 1,109 affordable housing units, including new construction in Kaslo and Revelstoke

Public Engagement Led to BC Hydro Compensation Program

In response to sustained public pressure from First Nations and conservation groups like the BC Wildlife Federation, BC Hydro launched the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP) in 1988 to help address environmental damage caused by its dams.

For the 2024/2025 fiscal year, BC Hydro allocated $8.7 million to the FWCP overall, with $2.4 million going to projects in the Coastal Region. These included:

• $173,000 for Campbell River Watershed projects, such as gravel placement to improve fish habitat, estuary restoration, and invasive species control

• $400,000 to help protect the Puntledge Forest from logging. This initiative aimed to preserve 100 hectares of ecologically significant land along the Puntledge River.

Groups like the BC Wildlife Federation continue to push for increased FWCP funding and more effective distribution of resources.

Community Voices Make a Difference....

PROMOTING COMMUNITY BENEFITS

RESEARCH AND SUBMISSIONS

ADVOCATING FOR BETTER WATERSHED MANAGEMENT

Watersheds impacted

by dams in the qathet region

Powell River Energy's 4 dams have major impacts on local watersheds

Over 7 square miles of Crown land can be flooded by PREI's dams

The dams' negative impacts were once balanced by jobs created at the mill that they powered - now all the electricity is exported.

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Get in Touch with Us

This website was intended as a community resource to make accessible what we've learned about the dams in our region. If you have questions or would like to share what you know, please contact us.