LNG Canada announced it has approved more than $937 million in contracts and subcontracts with First Nations and other businesses across Canada as of December 2018, following the first three months of the construction phase of the large-scale LNG export project near Kitimat, British Columbia.
This includes $175 million to local First Nations businesses and, 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 B.C. businesses outside the local area.
“What these contracts and subcontracts represent, is tremendous opportunity for individuals to find employment on the LNG Canada project through our contractors and subcontractors,” says Susannah Pierce, LNG Canada’s director external relations.
“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.”
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 benefit Canadian communities.
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, expects 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 remainder of construction.
