B.C. premier Christy Clark was in Kitimat recently to lend support to Skeena B.C. Liberal candidate Ellis Ross, accompanied by Stikine riding candidate Wanda Good.
Clark addressed a crowd of enthusiastic supporters at Kentron Construction, her talk focussing on the development of the liquified natural gas industry in the province and the benefits it would bring to Kitimat.
“Natural resources is what makes us best,” said Clark. “Let’s make sure that LNG stays strong.”
She said the provincial government was looking to add three more LNG projects in the province by 2020, with global demand set to increase by almost 50 per cent by 2040.
Kitimat Housing Resource worker and advocate Paul Lagace said while Clark’s talk of a burgeoning LNG industry was encouraging, it didn’t address how her government would protect the community from the effects of a boom.
“Clark failed to re-assure us that she would do everything to protect the most vulnerable members of our community during such a project, people who simply are not going to cash in from it, like those folks who were left barely standing after the RTA modernization project,” said Lagace.
He said while he wasn’t against any project that would create jobs in Kitimat, he was hoping that both Ellis Ross and Bruce Bidgood in the run-up to the election would address how their parties intend protecting the economically vulnerable.