Prince George, B.C. – Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad says the Liberal government is counting on the LNG industry to get involved in the skills training that will be needed if much-discussed development of the industry in B.C. comes to fruition.

During the first of what’s hoped to be regular conference calls with media in the region Rustad echoed statements about the budget being balanced and said “we are projecting a balanced budget for all of the next three years.”  He was asked how the government can say skills training is one of its priorities when it is cutting the advanced education budget from $1.952 billion this year to $1.911 billion.  Rustad first stated that the tax the LNG industry will have to pay “won’t come into effect for a number of years as the LNG plants are still a number of years out.  But it’s important to bring certainty for the industry so that they have all the pieces on the plate in terms of coming to final investment decisions, which we  are hoping to see this year.”

Regarding money for skills training, Rustad mentioned the government is spending $2.3 billion to build or renovate a number of post-secondary buildings in the coming years.  However, that is infrastructure money, not funding for skills training.  Pressed on that issue he says “we are working closely with the federal government on some arrangements around skills training.  But also the important component with, for example, liquefied natural gas is we’re working very closely with the proponents trying to work out how to best structure that.  Minister Bond is being tasked with putting together a 10-year plan around that, and I think over the coming months you’ll hear more about how that plan will be unfolded.”

Rustad says “the key in terms of the training going forward is really going to be, we need to drive the industry investment and participation as part of the skills training to make sure it can be as effective as possible.”  Asked whether that isn’t leaving the skills training ball in industry’s court, Rustad says “we have carried forward with the same level of funding on the Industrial Training Authority, we are doing a review of the work the authority is doing, making sure it is as effective as possible.  Within the Advanced Education budget we are still very close to record levels of investment, but really we do need to make sure that we are driving and meeting the needs of industry and we do need industry to participate.  In my discussions with industry they’re very interested in being involved with that so I’m optimistic about where the 10-year plans will go but the details of that will be out later this spring.”