In the wake of his government's decision to proceed with Site C, Premier John Horgan admits it's been a tough week. Horgan says he kept his promise to send the project for an independent review, sought the opinion of experts on both sides of the debate, and spoke to First Nations and residents in the region, before coming to a decision.
Speaking to CFAX this morning Horgan says he knows there are many who are angry at the decision - but says it's his job to do what's best for the province, not his party.
One of those expressing outrage that Site C is going forward is Green Leader Andrew Weaver. Horgan was asked if the relationship has changed:
"Well, Andrew and I met yesterday. And this has been a tough week for me, it's a tough week for a lot of British Columbians when it comes to the Site C issue. And as much as Andrew and I disagree on the course that we took, I'm fairly confident that he believes that we can do more good things together than we can apart."
Horgan says he knows it will take some time to regain the trust of many British Columbians, but maintains too much had been spent and the project had come too far to cancel it.
" I know there are many, many people in the community -- broader community of British Columbia -- that were profoundly disappointed with this. And it will take some time to regain their trust, I get that. But I had to make the decision I did for a whole host of other reasons."
Horgan says if Site C was cancelled at this stage there would have been severe impacts on the economy -- therefore impacts on the ability to move forward on important projects affecting schools and hospitals.