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BC Hydro will not be privatized. Instead, it has been split up, boxed in, and forbidden to develop any further generating plants. The water rights to all remaining potential generating sites, on which hydro generating plants depend, have been sold to private developers for peanuts and then flipped many times at astronomical profits to end up in the portfolios of major multinationals. There is a possibility that we could see our water privatized and put on the market. BC Hydro, as the provider to BC consumers, will be compelled to buy any excess power requirements in the future from these private power corporations. The private corporations are free to sell power into the North American market at whatever the going rate happens to be. B.C. Hydro will have to buy power back from them at the same rate or we go without. Currently BC has the second lowest cost of power generation in North America thanks to publicly owned power generation and distribution . California costs are over 3 times BC costs. The North American Power Market has an average posted cost in the order of $500/Mw.hr. which is predicted to remain at that level for several years. BC Hydro has committed to pay private developers $870/Mw.hr. Hence BC Hydro (which means us) will pay for the cost of developing the private power plants. BC will receive about 3% of the private revenue stream from miscellaneous user fees. With the water licences, private developers will own the land on which the plants will be built. Hence they will own the land in perpetuity because no-one can build another plant on the same site. Bill 30, currently being passed, will consolidate the above measures into law. In addition Bill 30 empowers developers to override decisions by local municipalities if they interfere with operations. NAFTA will protect the investor/developers from any threat of nationalisation in the future. There is no energy security for BC in the future Links Related to the Issue of Public Power www.sossite.org (Save Our Similkameen) www.hydrofactsbc.ca www.publicpowerbc.ca/get-involved (COPE 378) www.citizensforpublicpower.ca/action/kit.shtml (Citizens for Public Power) www.canadians.org/ (Council of Canadians) www.bc-creeks.org (BC Creek Protection Society) YouTube videos related to the issue of BC Energy www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjHgo4Wb06M (Save Our Similkameen Protest) www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL8THQrdJg0 (Ashlu River) www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgz2dlrF4bY (John Calvert)