"Back then the The same refrain of "too costly", "native land", "environmental impact", "unnecessary" and "our hydro rates will go up",were heard loudly across the province...louder than any other voice." Really?  Not if WAC Bennett had his way--which he usually did. The loudest voice most heard was WAC's.  No great "chorus of doom," no groundswell by "all those naysayers".  Outside the Legislature--what? 

Says BC Hydro President, Chris O'Riley:
 "The Bennett Dam was constructed in a different time. There was no dialogue or engagement, no opportunity for discussion or accommodation. First Nations were considered to be people in the way, and that's how they were treated. It's a terrible stain on the history of the province. The [Bennett] dam was built in a completely different context ... before Aboriginal rights were recognized in the Constitution, before the Supreme Court had established expectations around First Nations consultation and accommodation."
("Bennett Dam at 50")