This is a game changer
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- Published on Thursday, 03 November 2016 12:15
- Written by editor
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Dear DeSmog reader,
Last month, more than 100 of you stepped forward to support a reader-funded photo essay on the Site C dam. Your generosity made us feel both proud and humbled. We take the responsibility to use your dollars wisely very seriously.
As construction on the Site C dam ramps up, so too is the government’s promotion of the project. While Premier Christy Clark is loudly extolling the benefits of the dam, BC Hydro has quietly instructed families in the Peace Valley to vacate their home by Christmas.
We just can’t leave this story alone.
That’s why we have decided to commission an independent public opinion survey on British Columbians’ attitudes toward the Site C dam.
Can you give $50, $100 or $250 today to find out what British Columbians really think about Site C?
The only public polling so far on the Site C dam has been commissioned by BC Hydro and misleads respondents about power demand and alternatives to get the results they want.
New polling is desperately needed to counter BC Hydro’s misinformation, but we need to raise $5,000 by Sunday to make it happen.
If 50 people give $100 today, we’ll raise enough to cover our costs. Can you give $100 right now to change the debate on the Site C dam?
This work is so important that we’ve taken a leap of faith and already sent the survey into the field. And we can tell you: the results are going to be a game changer.
With Site C construction advancing by the day, our goal is to release this new polling to the media within two weeks — but we can’t do it until we’ve raised the money.
Please give whatever you can right now.
The media loves stories about public opinion and frequently points to BC Hydro’s misleading polling figures on Site C. The longer misinformation is left in the public sphere, the harder it becomes to combat.
While traditional news outlets once commissioned their own polls, it’s a rarity these days. Somebody needs to step up and fill that gap. Please step up with us.
When we started reporting on the Site C dam two years ago, only four in 10 British Columbians had ever heard of the project. Now, Site C is getting national and international attention.
We’ve been told by people in the Peace Valley that while mainstream media has failed to pay attention to their plight, our reporting has given them hope.
We believe that just because a place is out of sight, that doesn’t mean it should be out of mind.
If you agree, please give $50, $100 or $250 right now.
Thanks for all you do,
Emma Gilchrist
P.S. DeSmog Canada’s investigative reporting on Site C has prompted debate in the Legislature and coverage by CBC, the Globe and Mail and the Vancouver Sun. Help us get these new polling results into the hands of journalists across the province. r15 |r0
