SO1 Programs to Address Impacts of Operations on Communities
BC Hydro has a Social Responsibility Policy which guides the BC Hydro’s interaction at the community engagement level as it relates to impacts created from the organization’s development, operations and exiting. A key part of the engagement process is focused through community relations and stakeholder engagement / First Nations engagement professionals in support of BC Hydro’s business activities. In parallel, they are guided by the Environmental Responsibility Policy which provides guidance to the environmental professional staff as to the expectations placed upon them to proactively anticipate and avoid where possible environmental issues and impacts caused by BC Hydro’s operations.
Specific management approaches or programs that reflect BC Hydro’s fulfillment of this policy includes:
- The upgrade to the Revelstoke Generating Facility’s Visitors Centre which incorporated a First Nations Gallery developed in collaboration with three First Nations communities. The new gallery highlights the historical use of the region’s resources by First Nations, acknowledges their rights and traditional territory and showcases their art and artifacts.
- Our community investment program which features Corporate and Regional Donations, Sponsorships and Scholarships, as well as the employee-driven HYDRECS community service fund.
- Our ‘Voices of our Customers’ program designed to create multiple connection points to understand our customers’ issues, concerns and satisfaction with our service.
- The guidance provided to distribution engineering planning and design through “environmental aspects” sheets identifying potential impacts, measures, governing legislation as well as controls to help avert animal or environmental impacts of concern to communities.
- The implementation of our water licensing requirements program which sought, through water use plans on every watershed, to find a better balance between competing uses of water such as domestic water supply, fish and wildlife, recreation, heritage and electrical power needs, that are environmentally, socially and economically acceptable to British Columbians.
- The ongoing implementation of our province-wide compensation programs which, in partnership with communities and regulatory agencies, serve to compensate for the impacts to fish and wildlife caused by the creation of historic hydroelectric operations.
- The environmental management approach undertaken by properties services to guide BC Hydro‘s acquisition, active management of property contamination and environmental clearances for disposal or sale of owned or leased lands.
Last Modified: Mar 25, 2010
