Ben, we don't or won't own anything in this province shortly. Natural gas prices are going to rise drastically since the takeover of Terasen and and will rise even more with Katrina. We have Brian Mulroney and latley Gordon Campbell to thank for our sale of Canada and B.C. to the U.S. Free trade and NAFTA have made sure of that Federally and Provincially the recent sales of Westcoast Energy, BCR, Half on BC Hydro to Accenture, Terasen (which I don't believe is a corporate company)and soon to be I'm sure BCTC will be on the chopping block. I heard a rumor recently that the land BCH owned from Hudsons Hope to Ft St John for the Site C expansion for years has been sold. Maybe you could check that one out.

a novel idea; that elected officials represent the people that elected them. rather than thier own personal interests.

PLease, Please, Please send your views to; Robert J. Pellatt, Public Utilities Commission Secrtary, 900 Howe Street, Box 250, Vancouver BC V6Z 2N3.
A letter is preferred as it will be entered
as a letter of comment to the proceedings which I believe will take place on Sept 8,2005

So, you really think a couple of letters to the BCUC is going to stop this, do you?

It's a done deal.

Could you get us an e mail address?
Hate to waste money on a stamp-for all the good I think this action will do!!!

Looks like its already cost us 200 direct jobs and another 1000 indirect jobs in Northern BC. I own shares in Methanex and can tell you they didn't become a world wide monopoly in their industry out of stupidity. They know where the price of natural gas is going in these parts. Face it we have no public control over the resource anymore and that means there is no more incentive to play ball with us little people in the cold north anymore.

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Methanex to close Kitimat plant
Some 127 jobs will be lost by the closure that the company blames on the high cost of natural gas

Craig Wong
Canadian Press

August 31, 2005

High prices for natural gas is forcing Methanex Corp. to close its methanol plant in Kitimat early next year, a move that will affect 127 jobs.

The Vancouver-based company said late Tuesday it will take a $35-million charge related to employee severance costs and a fee to end a take-or-pay natural gas transportation agreement for the Kitimat plant.

About $25 million US will be booked in the third quarter, while the rest will be charged in the fourth quarter, the company said.

Methanex president and CEO Bruce Aitken said the high price for natural gas has meant the plant is no longer economic.

"There was only one factor that handicapped Kitimat and that was the price of natural gas in North America," Aitken told a conference call with the media.

"The decision that we've made to shut down Kitimat is not based on today's gas price, it's based on a long-term view that energy prices in North America are unlikely to be conducive to manufacturing commodities such as methanol or ammonia."

Aitken said at the current price the company paid for natural gas it cost $400 a tonne to produce methanol, but the company was getting only $300 a tonne for it.

"There has been a steady shutdown of methanol and ammonia plants in North America over the last five years and our decision today was just a continuation of that trend and I think you can expect in the 12 or 18 months there will probably be no other productions certainly of methanol left in North America," he said.

The North American price for natural gas, a key input in the production of methanol, has roughly doubled in the last year. Natural gas for October delivery traded at $11.659 US per 1,000 cubic feet on Tuesday, an increase of 52 cents.

The company is required to continue operating the plant at least until the end of the year under a supply agreement with an ammonia plant in the area.

Methanex said most of the 127 employees at the plant will work until the end of March to complete shutdown procedures.

The company said while some employees may get jobs elsewhere in the company, all employees who lose their jobs will receive severance and career transition packages.

Aitken said the company was in talks regarding its Kitimat location, in particular, the use of the terminal storage infrastructure at that site and hoped a deal could be announced in the coming weeks. A deal could, over time, offset a portion of the shutdown costs, the company said.

The Vancouver company is the world's largest producer of methanol, an industrial chemical used in everything from gasoline additives to paint, sealants and windshield-washer fluids. The company, formerly controlled by Nova Chemicals Corp., generated revenues of $1.7 billion US last year and employed 888 people at the end of 2004.

The Kitimat plant is the only Methanex plant that buys North American natural gas.

Methanex's other production hubs are located in Chile and Trinidad where low-cost natural gas is bought under long-term supply agreements. Methanex also produces methanol at a 530,000-tonne-per-year plant in New Zealand.

In the second quarter, Methanex, which keeps its accounts in the U.S. dollars, said earned $62.9 million or 53 cents per share on revenue of $410.9 million in the three months ended June 30. That compared with a profit of $52.4 million or 42 cents per share on revenue of $412.3 million a year ago.

Shipments declined three per cent from a year ago to just under 1.8 million tonnes, while its average realized price for the second quarter was $256 per tonne, up from $225 a year ago, boosted by high energy prices.

The company's announcement came after the close of stock markets Tuesday. Earlier, Methanex shares closed unchanged at $18 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

© The Vancouver Sun 2005

Excuse me for being sarcastic, but didn't the Liberals under Gordo make a big deal that BC is open for business? Well, I guess we now know what that business is: Clearance sales on all public property. Sell the house cheap, live on the streets!

I obviously don't get on this site often enough, it may be too late, but I'm still mailing off a letter today. The "Done Deal" attitude of too many of us Canadians is probably why we have the rep of "sitting back and taking it". I for one am tired of all the crap we keep getting tossed at us. If spending 50 cents on a stamp gets my voice heard, then I'm spending it. I keep thinking about the survey I participated in several years ago, one of the questions was "Do you think B.C. would benefit by becoming a State?" Holy Mackeral! Is that the writing on the wall? As usual, we Canadians (BC'rs) are just sitting back and "taking it" again. Docile little well trained good mannered civilians that we are! Except of course, for some of the Pit Bull owners that is! Ha ha, take away the right to raise your own children under the morals you were raised to believe in and that's no problem, but take away the right to own a dog.....and look out! There's a fight for ya!

Just signed up. The site is great. You'll be hearing from me on a regular basis. I've always got something to say!

Thanks for speaking out, Speakingout. that should answere the questions for the bumpkins sitting on the fence with the do nopthing attitude. If they cant find the Public Utilities Commissions email address there isnt much hope of being effective.
I know that letter writing to the our politicians is effective. Unfortunately to many seem to differ.

Gee, now I am being maligned for being "computer illiterate."
I simply asked for help-and it has been considered almost a crime.
Please accept this as a sincere apology, Opatcho.
Not everyone has such a high I Q!!!!! Forgive???