Columbia Basin Trust: A Story of People, Power and a Region United

By the 2010s, the Trust’s role in the Basin had grown far beyond what its founders originally envisioned. In addition to providing the region with financial benefits, the Trust had become a facilitator, collaborator, creator and problem-solver. It took on new challenges, such as establishing a regional broadband network. In 2015, the Trust led a public engagement process called Our Trust, Our Future to establish future priorities, and strategies to achieve them. The Trust and Basin residents continued to lay a solid foundation for the future and together strive towards social, environmental and economic well-being.

As the Trust marked its 10th anniversary, it worked hard to address growing pains and repair its relationship with Basin residents. At the same time, the Trust was looking to the future. With steadily increasing revenues and the capacity to expand its programs and partnerships, the Trust established new plans and priorities to guide its work in the Basin. It also entered an ambitious partnership with Columbia Power Corporation and Fortis Inc. to build a second powerhouse at Waneta Dam—a large and expensive undertaking which, if they pulled it off, would yield significant rewards for the region.

Between 1999 and 2005, the Trust significantly expanded its delivery of benefits, introducing programs relating to youth, water management, literacy and more. It also expanded its investment portfolio through partnerships with Basin businesses. However, the Trust was experiencing several growing pains, particularly regarding its hydropower investments. Tension with Columbia Power Corporation and anxiety surrounding government control led the Trust to consider selling off its hydro assets entirely. These issues, though later resolved, upset Basin residents who felt that the Trust had strayed from its mandate.

Columbia Basin Trust’s first three years were a blur of activity. It hosted a series of public meetings and symposiums where residents shared ideas on how the Trust should operate and invest its money for the benefit of the Basin. Guided by this feedback, the Trust developed a management plan and began to build relationships that would help it deliver benefits to the region. Working with its partner, Columbia Power Corporation, the Trust also started work on Arrow Lakes Generating Station and acquired the rights to Brilliant Dam, an investment that would generate revenue for future delivery of benefits.

By the 1980s, residents and politicians across the Basin were lobbying the provincial government to address the social, environmental and economic impacts caused by the Columbia River Treaty dams. Recognizing a common cause, several lobbyists united to form the Columbia River Treaty Committee, which represented and advocated for Basin residents’ interests. When British Columbia secured a new agreement for its share of the Treaty’s downstream benefits in 1994, the CRTC entered negotiations for the Columbia Basin Accord, which would see these benefits delivered directly to the Basin in the form of both money and expansion.

Life in the Columbia Basin changed forever when the Columbia River Treaty was signed in 1964. Designed to prevent flooding and optimize hydropower, the Treaty required Canada to construct three storage dams on the upper Columbia River. The dams created large reservoirs that flooded over 15 communities and displaced 2,300 people. Forests and farmland were destroyed, causing devastating environmental and economic effects. As promises for fair compensation were made and broken, Basin residents were left to grapple with these effects, while looking to the future for an opportunity to make their grievances heard.

In 2020, the Trust created a commemorative history book to mark our 25th anniver­sary. Listen to the introduction and foreword, and soon you will be able to download each of the six chapters that share the story of people, power and a region united.