How Many Female Workers If Northern Gateway Flies
Sunday, October 14, 2012 @ 5:27 AM
Prince George, B.C. – Enbridge expects that the three main contractors hired to construct its Northern Gateway Pipeline will retain a majority of its workforce through the project.
The three contractors would be working on three separate segments of the project through each of two summer and two winter seasons. Enbridge expects about 50 percent of its workforce would come from union halls in Alberta, a minimum 15 percent would be aboriginal and the remainder would be picked up through a protocol process at union halls across the route of the line.
At Saturday’s Joint Panel Review hearings in Prince George intervenor Terry Vulcano wanted to know how much of the workforce would be comprised of female employees in light of the company saying there would be opportunities for them. The Enbridge experts weren’t aware of any percentage or targets of that nature and say it will basically be up to the contractors. However they say the pipeline unions have an effort underway to attract aboriginal and female gender workers to the workforce.
Vulcano asked whether Enbridge is aware that female equipment operators are less hard on equipment than males. One of the Enbridge experts acknowledged that he had heard that but didn’t know whether it was anything other than anecdotal. Vulcano countered “I just think that if you want to minimize impact and you want to do a good job, that maybe one of your strategies could be more female operators. And I’m wondering if you’ve got anything in your plans that are showing there’s some action behind your notion that says yes, we want to benefit females.”
Comments
Other than some of Meisner’s rants this is by far the most absurd thing I’ve ever read on this site. Political correctness has truly run wild.
I have two points to make: 1) Mr. Miesner does not rant he tells it the way it is and we either agree with him or we don’t, but usually the majority of the people do agree with him. 2) And more importantly THERE WILL BE NO PIPELINE.
“THERE WILL BE NO PIPELINE.”
I will agree with you on that one. I suspect that the premier is waiting until we get closer to election time before announcing that the government is completely opposed to the northern gateway. At least she will if she wants to be re-elected. :)
axman. Your operating under the illusion that what we think here in Prince George, is how they think through-out the Province. That of course is not true.
At best we have maybe 4/5 MLA’s that we can influence in the next election, the balance are in the Southern Interior, the Island, or the Greater Vancouver area.
You would be pretty hard pressed to find this level of concern for this pipeline in other areas, so how much of an effect it would have on the next election is open for debate.
Once the American election is over, there will be an announcement that the Keystone Pipe line will go through, and perhaps some announcement in regards to oil going to Eastern Canada, and all this hype will die down.
In addition the hype surrounding the LNG Plants in Pr Rupert, Kitimat, and other big time announcements will disapear after the BC election. These announcements are more about getting elected, than they are about real, long term projects.
You would be pretty hard pressed to find a dozen female equipment operaters in all the Central Interior.
You certianly would not find enough to actually make a difference on this pipeline.
This is truly a bizarre story. It’s hard to believe a conversation like in the last paragraph actually took place.
Someone gotta make the sandwiches;)
On a careful reread of the news item I noticed the following, “in light of the company saying there would be opportunities for them”. The “them” referred to are female employees.
In other words, the company is trying to get positive public opinion by bringing employment of women into the discussion and, instead, got asked to justify how those women would be employed. From the article, I guess they could not, proving once again that the company’s position is all flim-flam.
I tried to find something on the internet that Enbridge actually said that. I cannot. That does not mean that they did not. It is not in any of their documents. It may have been said at some open meeting by one of the many Enbridge employees or consultants.
Here is a letter sent as a response to Vulcanoâs request which does not specify what questions he will be bringing to the table.
http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/050/documents/p21799/81557E.pdf
These are very formal hearings and one has to follow protocol. It is not to difficult once one understand that simple little fact.
As to people from the south not caring about the pipeline â¦.. Vulcano is from Vernon. I think most of the opposition comes from urban BC, coastal residents, and urban Canada.
How many people over 50 years old will be hired? How many Anglicans? How many redheads? How many left handed people? How many grandparents? How many cross dressers? How many vegetarians? What ever happened to “the best qualified gets the job”.
My guess is that the level of **concern** over this pipeline in all areas of BC are not sufficient to sway how people will vote.
In fact I suspect that there are a large number of people in favour of the pipeline, and the associated jobs, and their votes will offset those who are opposed. So in essence we will end up with a **Mexican Stand-off** and the election will be decided on issues like,
a. Liberal honesty and integrity (or the lack there-of)
b. The HST and the fact that the Liberals intentionally took 2 1/2 years to take it out, so that they could milk the cow as long as possible.
c. What can the Liberals bring to the table other than **More of the same**
e. The dislike of the NDP by a large portion of the BC population.
f. The fact that the NDP brings nothing to the table except more taxes, and a continuation of the socialist agenda.
BC is royally screwed when it comes to electing a Government that truly represents the majority of the people in the Province. The best we have done in the past is **right versus left**, and it looks like we will continue down that road.
Both Enbrige and select groups/people who are against the NGP are all turning our environmental review process into a circus.
Once all the smoke clears and it comes down to the crunch, it would be nice to have a referendum for the people all across the area to be impacted by this pipeline and see what they have to say. Forget the ones down south or those who have no knowlege of what happens up here.
If someone conducts a poll, let’s have it concentrated on those people instead of all across the country.
Also it seems that a lot of this talk is forgetting about the tankers. This should have equal questioning.
Palopu writes “You would be pretty hard pressed to find a dozen female equipment operaters in all the Central Interior.
You certianly would not find enough to actually make a difference on this pipeline.”
There are more than a few dozen women equipment operators in the north. They are like the men – go where the money is to feed their family”
Guess you have not been to the mines in the north. There are more women operators running heavy machinery further north and out west were there are more mines than in the “Central Interior” of BC.
I personally know at least a dozen……..
Good observation Oldun. I’m afraid “best qualified gets the job” is the exception, not the rule. That’s the reality these days.
Experience can make someone “best qualified to do a job” It can also make someone more likely to do a poor job if they don’t care and become complacent.
Seems to me if there are female operators in the North….Then there will be opportunities for them to be employed on the pipeline.
The rampant feminist can’t see how she made Enbridge’s points for them. I’m sure she was only interested in any quota system that might be gender based.
That would be if there were NO female operators in the north. But since as you point out there are many, they can apply for employment like everyone else.
As for them being easier on equipment? What nonsense. Hire the correct PERSON and the machine will be operated properly.
NDP will legislate fair-wage on it…pocket money from the unions AND Enbridge. Forcing the dippers to call it a green pipeline.
The problem with this country is that females have taken all the mens jobs. That accounts for a lot of deadbeat dads.
Women were made for child bearing and nurturing them. Men were made strong to do the work. Looking at todays world, things are upside down so don’t expect things to get any better. Check out our leader — a woman — power hungry — thinks she can run over the Federal Government — she’s wrong. She will not be Premier next time around.
Yeah, well men were made, actually they evolved, to run down the animals and kill them, then drag the dead carcase back to the cave to eat it. Not too many men do that anymore, even hunters. Society advances, so hunters use rifles nowadays, most commonly, and women do the same jobs as anyone else. its called progress.
Kudos to the Enbridge people who have to listen to this swill and not slit their wrists. This is why Harper has put forth changes to streamline these review panels. Currently, as this “intervenor” shows, any and all idiots can use this as their stage. They add nothing but time and costs while constructive and meaningfull examinations wait.
Styxxx wrote: “The rampant feminist can’t see how she made Enbridge’s points for them. I’m sure she was only interested in any quota system that might be gender based.”
Terry Vulcano is a male, not female. Go to my post above and click on the link which is a letter sent to him by the review panel.
If they are so worried about safety then there should be no hiring quotas. The most qualified gets the job. Once you hire due ti gender that is sexism, hiring due to race is wrong as well. Can envridge make anymore mistakes ?
Really? You want us to believe that females are better operators than males because of that gentle touch on the controls? What a load of crap that is. I know lots of guys that operate equipment and do it without damaging said equipment due to their clumsy, heavy handed man hands. To make a blanket statement that females make better operators than males is just wrong. There are competent operators of both sexes
palopu,,,,
“Hard pressed to find a dozen female heavy equip operators”.
What a rude and totally ridiculous comment, I work in heavy industry and believe you and I that there are several capable and awesome female operators out there, totalling more than a dozen I guarentee you. Get your facts straight before you go beaking off about an industry, you odviously, know nothing about, nor its people.
Big Bore,
As for your sexist comment on woman are only good for having and caring for children.
You have not stepped out of the 50’s at all have you? Your comment tells me that you either are scared of woman in the work place,expecially in industry, or you like to repress your woman to the point that they would like to shoot themselves.
Grow the hell up. Life is happening out there, whether we are male or female.It pisses you off that woman CAN and ARE working and supporting themselves, cause we sure the hell dont need a role model like you in our lives.
willyj – can’t change soome peoples old ways.
My guess is there will never be equality in your generation or mine because of the “old boys” club mentality and what they teach there children. Leading by example is not always the best way.. ;)
Many forget women fought in the wars and ran heavy equipment here at home and at war until the “men” came back.
I for one would not like to come up against a woman in combat of any form…..
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