John Horgan says ratepayers are a priority ahead of release of final Site C report

The final report on the Site C project from the B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC) is expected on Tuesday.

The report, which was requested by the NDP, will look at the economic viability of the $8.3-billion project and provide recommendations on what to do next.

The report is expected to guide the provincial government’s decision on whether to move the project forward, pause it or cancel it outright.

“We wouldn’t be in the situation if the BC Liberals had done what every government has done before them and put major capital projects like this before a third party so that the public could have confidence it’s the right choice,” said Horgan.

WATCH: UBC study calls for suspension or cancellation of Site C dam

1:56 UBC study calls for suspension or cancellation of Site C dam

He said the government is committed to protecting ratepayers.

MLA Scott Fraser will be speaking to First Nations communities who are for and against the project before the final decision is made, Horgan added.

The NDP promised the review as part of their election platform.

Back in September, an interim report found it would cost taxpayers more than $3 billion to halt the project.

The preliminary report also raised significant concerns about project financing, warning that just two years into an eight-year project, Site C has already burned through 45 per cent of its $794-million contingency budget.

Another report commissioned by the Peace Valley Landowners’ Association determined that cancelling Site C right now would save as much as $1.6 billion.

The NDP promised a decision on Site C by year’s end.