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BC Hydro is accused of deceiving the public over its planned 500 kV North Coast Transmission Line route through Thornhill, affecting the Skeena Golf and Country Club and Terrace Rod and Gun Club.
BC Hydro is deceiving the public over its planned route through Thornhill for a 500 kV North Coast Transmission Line intended to power large-scale northwestern British Columbia industrial projects, according to James Cordeiro, a Kitimat-Stikine regional district director and City of Terrace councillor. Speaking at the Sept. 25, 2026 regional district board meeting, Cordeiro said BC Hydro is using a bait and switch tactic to shield the public from its actual intentions for the line running from Prince George to a substation south of Terrace.
Confidential Meeting Raises Transparency Concerns
Cordeiro criticized a meeting that BC Hydro initially classified as confidential, which regional district directors attended only to find nothing confidential was discussed.
He said he heard nothing that needed to be in camera or that had not been discussed with impacted people, and he did not believe those people were required to keep it secret.
Cordeiro argued that once it became clear no actual negotiations were happening, the meeting should have been adjourned and reconvened publicly.
He expressed disinterest in being part of BC Hydro trying to sneak something past the public, knowing the reaction if the information were widely known.
Preferred Route Impacts on Local Clubs
The regional district board is commenting on the impacts of BC Hydro's preferred route on two public use facilities: the Skeena Golf and Country Club and the Terrace Rod and Gun Club.
In a two-page memo, regional district strategic initiatives manager Ted Pellegrino said the preferred route would roughly parallel the existing 500 kV line to BC Hydro's Skeena Substation south of Terrace, but the existing right of way is too narrow, necessitating a new one.
Due to steep terrain near the Skeena Valley Golf and Country Club and Terrace Rod and Gun Club, the transmission line is proposed closer to those facilities, with at least one new tower on the golf course property and lines near the gun range backstop.
Pellegrino added that the new line would run through golf club-owned property and a portion of a Crown land tenure belonging to the rod and gun club.
The existing line and two towers are also within a right of way on regional district-owned land acquired to protect the aquifer supplying Thornhill wells.
Clubs List Concerns and Financial Impacts
The golf club listed nine issues and the rod and gun club eight issues about the proposed new right of way during a meeting with regional district staffers.
Pellegrino summarized that both clubs indicate the proposed route will affect their operations and result in financial losses.
The golf club noted that a new right of way would make it easier for off-road traffic to access the course and damage fairways and putting greens.
The rod and gun club said it has no financial capacity to mitigate changes in range design and standards to accommodate BC Hydro's proposed route.
Board Directs Staff and Seeks Meetings
Pellegrino asked the board to direct staff to present the clubs' concerns to BC Hydro and for BC Hydro to speak with the clubs and other affected property owners.
Terrace mayor Sean Bujtas, also a regional district board member, presented Pellegrino's recommendations as a motion.
He added that the regional district chair and the Area E director for Thornhill request meetings with the premier and appropriate ministries.
The chief councillors of Kitselas and Kitsumkalum should also be in those meetings, he said.
The motion was seconded by Thornhill regional district director Ted Ramsey and passed unanimously.
Outside the meeting, Bujtas expressed frustration at BC Hydro's approach to property owners, saying BC Hydro should financially fully cover the full range of impacts if it sticks to its preferred route.
BC Hydro Thornhill North Coast Transmission Line Skeena Golf And Country Club Terrace Rod And Gun Club Kitimat-Stikine Regional District James Cordeiro
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