Peace River Hydro Partners gives $44,000 in Holiday Donations, $80,000 total for 2021

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Fort St. John — December 7, 2021 — Peace River Hydro Partners completed their 2021 holiday donation campaign contributing $44,000 across 15 different charities, groups, and programs. All were located within the Peace Region. The largest donation, $10,000, went to Community Bridge, followed by $5,000 each to the Women’s Resource Society, the Salvation Army Food Bank, North Peace Kidsport, and the Fort St John Literacy Society’s Dollar Parton Imagination Library, while 10 other charities received amounts ranging from $1000 to $3,000.  This year, PRHP has donated a total of $80,000.

Gathering at the Site C Viewpoint to distribute the donations, PRHP’s Communications & Indigenous Relations Manager Jamie Bodnarchuk spoke about the importance of giving back and how PRHP’s recycling program raises the funds used for community investment.

Jeff Beatty, an equipment operator from PRHP’s Earthworks team, spoke about the critical role charities played in his childhood and the struggles his single mother was able to overcome.

“Charities were the building blocks of the foundation my mom needed to get on her feet. She left my abusive father and worked two jobs just to keep a roof over our head. There was no money left for food, clothes, sports, or Christmas. We survived off hand-me-downs and without places like shelters and food banks I don’t know how we would have survived.”

Jeff also shared the role sports played in his childhood. “I used to show up to every football practice with my donated cleats, hoping I would get to participate, but without being able to pay the registration fees I was stuck on the sidelines watching the other kids. One day, the coach walked me home and asked to speak with my mom. He told us about a program for low-income families that could allow me to play. I was able to get a grant and finally join the team. Coach told me, “a kid in sports has no time for the streets,” and that stuck with me. I am honored to have an opportunity via PRHP to pay forward the gifts I received.”

PRHP is proud to support local communities. This year’s recipients include the Fort St. John Public Library, Hudson’s Hope Public Library, Chetwynd Public Library AlphaBITES program, Fort St. John Association for Community Living, Fort St. John and Area Senior’s Care Foundation, North Peace Senior’s Housing Society, New Totem Archery Club, FSJ Friendship Society, North Peace Cultural Centre arts programs, and North Peace Gymnastics Association.

Peace River Hydro Partners, a joint venture between ACCIONA Infrastructure Canada and Samsung Renewable Energy Inc., holds the Main Civil Works Contract on BC Hydro’s Site C Clean Energy Project.

Peace River Hydro Partners Gifts $25,000 to Tse’k’wa Heritage Society

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Fort St. John — September 30, 2021 — In honor of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Peace River Hydro Partners has gifted $25,000 to the Tse’k’wa Heritage Society. Tse’k’wa (“Rock House” in Dane-zaa) is a National Historic Site and exceptional archaeological site with deep cultural and spiritual significance for the Dane-zaa people, dating back more than 12,500 years. Tse’K’wa lies in the rolling terrain of the Peace River District to the east of the Rocky Mountains, nine kilometres northwest of Fort St. John. Previously known as Charlie Lake Cave, the site is an integral element of Dane-zaa identity and continuing traditions maintained through oral histories, stories, and songs. Tse’k’wa is nationally recognized for what it has revealed about the earliest humans and their movement over time, their way of life, about the cultures that followed, and about post-glacial environmental change.


The goal for the facility is to create an interactive and welcoming space to share the unique history of Tse’k’wa and the vibrant Dane-zaa culture with local residents, schools, and visiting tourists. Funds will be used to help enhance the educational capacity of the organization through educational planning, resources, and assets. The donation will assist the Society as it transforms the site from a volunteer-managed site into a year-round public interpretive education and cultural centre. Tse’k’wa is owned, governed, and managed by the Tse’k’wa Heritage Society, a collaboration of three Dane-zaa First Nations communities: Doig River, Prophet River, and West Moberly, with a vision to share their stories, language, and culture with the world. Peace River Hydro Partners hopes to support the development of this vision through Tse’k’wa’s educational programs, which preserve and share critical cultural and historical information.
Tse’k’wa Executive Director, Alyssa Currie, and President, Garry Oker, graciously hosted PRHP’s Communications and Indigenous Relations Manager, Jamie Bodnarchuk, and Environmental Writer, Alison MacMaster, for an inspiring tour of the facility.

Beginning with a game of ring-toss, which was handcrafted locally by Elder Jack Askoty from Doig River First Nation, Garry and Alyssa shared the importance of having educational programs available and accessible for everyone, but especially youth. Their passion and excitement were inspiring as they shared how education is an opportunity to connect youth with themselves, their culture, their histories, and their identities, which encourages harmony and balance in life.


The tour continued to the recreated work-style camp area and the cave, where Garry shared his extensive knowledge, highlighting the spiritual and ceremonial significance of the cave. According to Garry, “we need to create cultural heritage education programs to share with the public the importance of this national historic site in our region.” Improving education will have an added benefit, according to Garry: “It will be good for tourism.”


Continuing inside, Alyssa showcased educational reproductions and original artifacts, such as hand tools, stone artifacts, and arrow points, recovered during extensive archaeological excavations in the area, showcasing the rich history of the site. She shared that “these resources provide hands-on learning experiences for visitors” and are especially popular among the school-aged visitors to the site; “The gift from Peace River Hydro Partners is going to help us provide a better learning experience for everyone.”


The tour ended inside the future repository space, where Garry introduced a spectacular piece of his original artwork which showcases the connectedness of people with nature, deep cultural and spiritual themes across all generations, past, present, and future, and how we are all connected through our stories. He shared his commitment, along with the Tse’k’wa Heritage Society, to restore, preserve, and enhance these stories to safeguard the deep history of the site for future generations.

The Tse’k’wa Heritage Society continues to actively fundraise in support of their vision. Tse’k’wa operates on private property, and visitors or donors are asked to register ahead of time before visiting the site by calling 250-224-7906 or emailing tsekwaheritage@gmail.com.
Peace River Hydro Partners, a joint venture between ACCIONA and Samsung Renewable Energy Inc., holds the Main Civil Works Contract on BC Hydro’s Site C Clean Energy Project, which is being constructed on the traditional territories of the Treaty 8 First Nations.

For more information:
PRHP Communications Manager: Jamie Bodnarchuk
250-263-9920
info@prhp.ca
www.prhp.ca
www.sitecproject.com
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/culture/clmhc-hsmbc/res/information-backgrounder/tsekwa
http://treaty8.bc.ca/tsekwa/

Peace River Hydro Partners gives $90,947 in donations to Peace Region community groups in 2020

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Peace River Hydro Partners gives $90,947 in donations to Peace Region community groups in 2020

Peace River Hydro Partners concludes 2020 Community Investment Campaign
Fort St. John — December 15, 2020 — Peace River Hydro Partners has contributed $90,947 to over 30 different charities, groups, and programs. All were located within the Peace Region. The largest contributions in 2020 included $35,000 towards a second scholarship at Northern Lights College, sponsorship of the Youth Changing Tomorrow Conference where PRHP also delivered the keynote speech, and the “12 Days of Giving” holiday campaign which gave $35,750 to a variety of groups. In 2019, PRHP also reached their goal of $90,000 in donations.
PRHP is proud to support the local communities. “PRHP raised these funds through its recycling program. PRHP recycles pop cans and bottles, along with construction debris like scrap cable, wiring, metal trim, culvert cuttings, and other waste materials. Not only do we prevent these items from ending up in landfills, but we turn them into something positive that benefits many people,” said Jamie Bodnarchuk, PRHP’s Communications Manager and Chair of PRHP’s Community Investment Team. “We would like to share a special Thank You to recognize PRHP’s Site Services Team, which oversees the recycling program. The team is led by Carrie Domoslai and Randy Gray, and includes members Jess Roshuk, Dave Kerr, Rhoss Denis, Sierra Ann Kennedy, Wendy McMillan, Lara Agnew, Mary Ann Misal, Casius Niyokwizera, Arnold Natividad, Gerry Natividad, Mon Arfie Castillo, John Paul Berrameda, Geri Buhler, Rose Iglesias, Kathleen Castillo, Warren Erickson, Jasmine Hupanda, Elvin Iglesias, Mirasol Jasinski, Marc Natividad, and Kerwin Treyes. Without the diligent efforts of the team, the recycling program would not be sustainable. Rain or shine, each of these dedicated team members works daily towards the success of the program and makes all of our community donations possible.”
Peace River Hydro Partners, a joint venture between ACCIONA Infrastructure Canada and Samsung Renewable Energy Inc., holds the Main Civil Works Contract on BC Hydro’s Site C Clean Energy Project.
For more information:
PRHP Communications Manager: Jamie Bodnarchuk
250-263-9920
info@prhp.ca
www.prhp.ca
www.sitecproject.com