Economy Link
Robert Matas of the Globe and Mail reports in Crosscheck: Looking for a job in B.C.? that Chilliwack MLA, John Les, parliamentary secretary to BC Premier Christy Clark told an audience in Nanaimo:
Everybody is looking for work around home, but [they] may not be aware that there are jobs available in Kitimat or in Terrace or Fort St. John. That’s not for everybody, but if you’re a young person looking for a job, maybe horizons need to be expanded a bit…
Matas adds in his article:
…up North, the cities are on the cusp of an economic boom, sparked by projects worth $11-billion. The developments are expected to create thousands of new jobs within the next five years.
The list of projects includes a new export terminal near Kitimat for natural gas; modernization of the Rio Tinto Alcan Kitimat smelter; construction of a new 344-kilometre Hydro transmission line that will open up prospects for several more mining properties; a 195-megawatt run-of-river hydroelectric project on Tahltan First Nation lands; and development of a copper and gold property.
The jobs could transform Terrace, a forest-dependent city that has been in a slump since its mills closed down. The mining town of Kitimat has been more stable than Terrace but will also feel the glow from the multibillion-dollar investments in the region…
Editor’s note: One has to wonder why the business media keeps referring to Kitimat as a mining town, since the only mine in the area, the Golden Crown copper and gold venture was abandoned in 1909, more than 100 years ago and Rio Tinto Alcan’s raw material comes from far, far away. (Unless, of course, Matas is referring to some previously unknown revival of the Golden Crown venture is his unnamed copper and gold property)