I
n January, 2019, LNG Canada anno-
unced it had signed $937 million
worth of contracts and subcontracts
to Canadian businesses and First
Nations.
This approval includes $175 million to
local First Nations businesses. With the
addition of contracts awarded to local
Kitimat area businesses, including First
Nations businesses, that total increases
to $330 million and $530 million with the
addition of BC businesses outside the
local area.
The economic benefits of the project
extend far beyond British Columbia, with
nearly $400 million in contracts and
subcontracts approved for businesses
across Canada. As the project progresses,
more contracts will be awarded to bene-
fit Canadian communities.
“What these contracts and
subcontracts represent, is
tremendous
opportu-
nity for individuals to
find employment on the
LNG Canada project
through our contractors
and subcontractors,” Susannah Pierce,
LNG Canada’s Director External Rela-
tions, said in a press release. “For First
Nations communities, it is delivering on
the opportunities we have committed to
that will assist the Nations address issues
of poverty, unemployment and skills
development. For local communities, it is
the opportunity for young people to find
employment that allows them to remain
living in the North.”
During the month of October 2018, the
first month in the construction phase
of the project, 249 workers from the
local area, including First Nations, were
employed by LNG Canada or one of its
contractors.
By the end of construction, LNG Canada
and the Coastal GasLink pipeline project
that is needed to transport natural gas
from northeastern B.C. to the LNG export
facility near Kitimat, expect to employ
approximately 10,000 Canadian workers.
Coastal GasLink had earlier announced
the award of $620 million in contracts
to First Nations, with an additional $400
million to be awarded during the remain-
der of construction.
MARCH 2019 | BUSINESS ELITE CANADA 13
