B.C. auditor general set to scrutinize Site C dam project

B.C.'s auditor general has set her sights on the Site C dam in northeast B.C., although she isn't yet sure which aspect ofthe mega-project her team will be scrutinizing.

"It's such a complexproject," saidCarol Bellringer, who released her2018-19 priorities plan Wednesday.

Bellringersaid many of the questions heroffice had about Site C were answered in the B.C. Utilities Commission analysis released last year, but she believes the dam's construction still requires outside oversight.

"It's the largest construction project that you've ever seen in British Columbia," she said."It's really hard to argue... there isn't some aspect that we shouldn't be scrutinizing."

B.C. Hydro says the dam will be completed on a budget of $8.3 billion, but the utilities commission estimatesthe cost could be over $10 billion.

Bellringer saidher team will meet in the coming weeks to narrow their focus.

Critics of the projecthave asked her to review the NDP's decision to allow dam construction to move forward, but Bellringer said that falls outside her mandate.

• New Site C contract moves forward as opponents call for auditor general review

Otherwise, "it really could be any aspect at all of the project," she said.

"In terms of the size, thesignificance, the impact on taxpayers, the impact onrate payers, it's all very much of interest and importance from our perspective."

A spokesperson for BC Hydro said they will work "collaboratively" with the auditor general.

Other priorities for the auditor general's office in 2018-19 include the mental health of post-secondary students, RCMP contracts and cancer care access. Other projects, including the George Massey Tunnel replacement, have been removed from the office's list.