Prince George, B.C. – The recently announced smelter modernization project in Kitimat is one of the largest industrial expansions in the history of northern B.C.
The $3.3 Billion dollar project will create about 2500 jobs at the peak of construction, and that means there will need to be an adjustment for Kitimat.
UNBC professor, Dr. Greg Halseth, is a nationally-recognized leader in the study of rural and small town community change and he is ready to help Kitimat prepare for the change.
Involved in research on northern B.C.’s communities since 1994, his studies on community diversification through industrial investment will help Kitimat get ready for the short-term population boom that will result from the construction phase of the project. That boom may place extra stress on the community’s physical and social infrastructure.
“Although the immediate reaction of many to this investment is excitement,” says Dr. Halseth, “I recommend that communities approach such announcements with a critical eye. Kitimat has been a major manufacturing center in the Province for more than 50 years now. This investment by Rio Tinto Alcan secures that role for decades yet to come. However, with massive investment comes both opportunities and challenges.”
He says there are two phases that Kitimat will have to deal with, the construction phase and the operations stage. "During the construction phase there will be a lot of people in Kitimat who are only there for the short term, they have no intention of staying, they may be there for a few months, they may be there for a year or more, but their intent is not to stay. Then along that period you start to transition from the construction phase to the operations stage and in that case, you are lookint recruit and bring into the community that workforce that will bring some stability to the operations." He says in established towns, like Kitimat, there is also the potential to transition current workforce members into the new employment opportunities.
Dr. Halseth will facilitate conversations among community and industry partners to help them prepare and address emerging issues and challenges. This will build on the work he started in 2007 when he facilitated a community planning dialogue to prepare for what was then, a proposed rebuild of the smelter in Kitimat.
“There has been an ongoing transformation of northern British Columbia’s communities through population changes, economic transitions, and industry investments,” explains Dr. Halseth. “Research through the Community Development Institute helps inform these communities, which, in turn, can help them prepare and make good decisions based on their situations. It is important to use such opportunities to develop the infrastructure and capacity needed to harness local and regional assets so they fit with community aspirations for a resilient future.”
Comments
I don`t see much of a problem with all the extra workers. There`s lots and lots of empty apartment buildings just sitting there and a 5 story hospital with only one or two floors being used.
Mabe he can help PG get INTO a boom time.
As far as I know once the new plant is up and running, Rio Tinto will reduce the work force by 400 full time positions. Ie; approx 1400 at present to 1000. Hence the spin **The project will secure 1000 jobs into the future**
So we will have a net loss of 400 jobs, and as a result once the **boom** of construction is over, Kitimat will be facing some serious problems.
Why is that never mentioned???
Mayor green will probably give this person a job after Kitimat is back in the dumper.
Cheers
I believe all reductions in work force will come through attrition aka retirements and they have a aging work force as it is. I have heard they will actually need to hire more people to meet turnover rate.
They may need to hire some people, and some will go through attrition, however the new smelter will require 400 less people to run it. That is a huge loss of jobs for Kitimat.
I think that once the Natual Gas facility is build it will create an additional 40 jobs, however there is still a net loss of 360 jobs more or less. Not good.
There may be more spinoff jobs created due to higher production which could compensate for the loss of jobs in the main plant. This has not been mentioned (or studied).
Halseth is quoted as saying: “Kitimat has been a major manufacturing center in the Province for more than 50 years now”
Yes, and that is the problem. That is all it has been. And primary manufacturing at that. Aluminum alloy wheels are manufactured elsewhere, as are pop cans, foil, window frames, and thousands of other products using aluminum.
Put just a couple of secondary manufacturing plants there and the 400 lost jobs will stay in the community and maybe result in a few more plants there with some more jobs.
But that is not the way the world of manufacturing works, does it. Cheap electricity in BC and Quebec. Haul all the Bauxite to BC and Quebec from Australia and Jamaica and distribute the ingots to the secondary mnufacturing world, which is, of course, not BC.
Dr. Halseth has produced some good studies of small communities in BC. I am not sure how he will be effective in moving Kitimat from a one industry town to a well balanced diversified economic community. We have 50 years of history under various right and left wing governments who have been unable to crack that nut.
But, hey, if there is another chance, what better time than an up cycle?
Something about location and weather keeps floating in front of my eyes though as I write that.
From what I’ve heard housing is a major concern with recruitment for the construction phase… they still don’t have a camp set up yet and some of the other options are kind of dumppy causing some to simply say no… most have no intention of actually living in Kitimat but if there for a year or more they don’t want to live out of a shoebox either.
This is a huge opportunity for Prince George, but to date I’ve seen nothing that indicates PG is awake for it. Most of the core of the construction workers will come from PG and with other projects in the North relating to mining and eventually Site C the potential to get lots of these workers basing in the city of PG while working in the regional area is a huge opportunity IMO. What PG lacks big time is good affordable condo and apartment like units that are secure when away from town… with the Victoria Towers fire and other such impacts on the housing market one would think PG would see some construction related to housing if PG was to seize the opportunity.
Time will tell.
Terrace is about 50 km away from Kitimat. For workers with a family, they should be able to live there for a couple of years or whatever the time is for their particular phase of the construction.
Terrace has an airport with direct connection to Vancouve and a flight or two could be added on weekend for those who want to keep their family in the GVRD, if that is where they come from. Companies could even arrange for regular charter flights. Would not be the first time that is done for workers in remote areas.
I think PG is a bit far away.
We might call ourselves the capital of the North, but I think Terrace is the capital of the NorthWest.
Not much opportunity for the good professor here in PG.
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