COVID-19 outbreak declared at Site C dam project in northeastern B.C.

Health officials have declared a COVID-19 outbreak at the Site C dam project.

There are currently 13 active cases of the disease associated with Site C and 100 workers isolating at home or on site, BC Hydro said in a statement issued Thursday.

5:05 B.C. government to go ahead with Site C dam

BC Hydro says the outbreak is among workers employed by Peace River Hydro Partners, the project’s main civil works contractor, and specifically those working in the office complex and on the dam core excavation.

Hydro says Northern Health has determined there is no need to stop work on the project, and work will continue as planned.

In a statement, BC Hydro president and CEO Chris O’Riley said the Crown corporation has gone to great lengths to align itself with health guidelines.

“However, the declaration of the outbreak demonstrates that we need to do better, and we will,” he said. “In addition to the steps we are already taking, we will look to implement further measures in the coming days.”

In February, the province reported that the price to complete the Site C dam project has skyrocketed but the government is still going ahead with completion.

The project will now cost an estimated $16 billion to complete, up from the previous estimate of $10.7 billion, the province said.

— with files from Richard Zussman