BC Hydro and McLeod Lake Indian Band have concluded agreements that will provide economic development opportunities and other benefits related to the construction and operation of the Canadian utility’s Site C Clean Energy Project.
The agreements, which were endorsed in a vote by McLeod Lake Indian Band members, include an Impact Benefits Agreement, a Contracting Agreement, as well as a Tripartite Lands Agreement, to which the Province of British Columbia is also a party. Benefits under the agreements include a lump sum payment, a payment stream over 70 years, procurement opportunities for McLeod Lake companies, the transfer of provincial Crown lands to McLeod Lake, and a commitment to consider land management initiatives involving McLeod Lake respecting certain lands.
McLeod Lake Indian Band is a Tse’khene First Nation that adhered to Treaty No. 8 in 2000. The main community of McLeod Lake Band is located on McLeod Lake Indian Band Indian Reserves #1 and #5 near the unincorporated village of McLeod Lake, approximately 150 kilometers north of Prince George on Highway 97. McLeod Lake Band Membership totals about 515 members.
The Site C Clean Energy Project is a hydroelectric dam and generating station under construction in northeast British Columbia. The project is being built to meet long-term electricity needs in the province. Once complete in 2024, the project is expected to provide clean, reliable and cost-effective electricity for more than 100 years.
