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Fort St. John invites John Horgan to town to discuss resource projects

Click to play video: 'Site C dam in jeopardy?'
Site C dam in jeopardy?
Fri, Jun 2: The future of the Site C dam is in question once again after a leaked letter to BC Hydro from NDP leader John Horgan. Keith Baldrey reports – Jun 2, 2017

With the prospect of a Premier John Horgan becoming very real, one northern B.C. municipality is extending an invitation to the NDP leader for a face-to-face sit-down.

Fort St. John City Council has passed a motion to invite the NDP Leader and his entire caucus to town, and questions around the future of the Site C dam are at the top of the agenda.

Mayor Lori Ackerman said back in 2015, Horgan sat in her office and promised he would not shut down the Site C project.

On the campaign trail Horgan hedged on the future of the $8.8-billion mega-project, pledging to send it to the BC Utilities Commission for review.

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But earlier this month, he raised eyebrows when he wrote BC Hydro president Jessica McDonald urging the Crown corporation not to sign any new contracts pending that review.

Ackerman said she thinks he’s had a change of heart.

“He’s changed his mind and I believe that there is tremendous value in understanding.”

Horgan hasn’t been back to Fort St. John since his 2015 visit with the mayor, and Ackerman said it’s time to talk about the controversial project and other industries.

“We need to understand how they plan on supporting resource municipalities right across this province. We have a softwood lumber agreement that is being impacted. We have tourism, agriculture, and natural gas.”

Ackerman said she hopes to send out an official invite in the coming days.

A spokesperson for the NDP said Horgan is always happy to meet with mayors and councils on issues that are important to their local communities.

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