I also don't defend all dams. Many dams have had terrible impacts on people and the environment.
Hydro could be mooted when there is enough battery storage in MWH as there is stored in the potential energy in the water in the reservoirs of the dams.
The economics on batteries aren't there yet. To be able to depend on having x MWH of energy in the battery in 5 years you need a battery that is 10x, or you buy a battery that is only 1.5x but then replace it every year. A project in Hawaii just chose pumped hydro storage over batteries.
I'm more hopeful geothermal will become a strong resource but all of the drilling equipment and expertise is chasing oil.
After some quick googling, skim reading, it looks like your govt has tried harder to preserve your salmon runs. Honestly, that's pretty encouraging. And the restoration work on Vancouver Island is exciting.
Since the Columbia (Basin) is also used for irrigation, agriculture, it's been hard, slow work balancing the needs of all the stakeholders. Just guessing: Maybe that's less of a factor for your govt.
Aside: I do think we'll need to be build more reservoirs, cisterns. Higher up. As you know, the snowpack, which used to hold the water, has all but disappeared with climate change. We'll need something to replace that functionality, capacity. So even as an EE, you'll still have a lot of work in the future (assuming you stay with hydro).
Peace.
I'll google your new BC hydro, of which I know nothing. See what's what. But that doesn't change the situation with USA's dams.
Further, any hope of restoring the pacific salmon runs requires removing hydro. Among many other measures.
You didn't answer my question. So I'll try to restate it: At what point will we have enough solar and wind capacity to moot hydro?
I can't speak to the chub situation.