THURSDAY, JULY 27 2017 VOL. 74, NO. 30
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Bruce Fillion wins his chuckwagon heat on July 22 at the Fort St. John Rodeo. He would go on to finish fourth overall at the event. For more, turn to B1 and B4.
Petronas pulls the plug on Pacific NorthWest LNG
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NDP need to be ‘working to get a deal’ on LNG, Davies says as $36-billion project cancelled
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Dan Davies reads his farewell card at his final meeting as a Fort St. John city councillor on Monday. See story on A5.
Trouble at old landslide forces Site C layoffs; 72 workers let go MATT PREPROST editor@ahnfsj.ca
Seventy-two workers were laid off from the Site C dam project last week because of a safety-related work stoppage caused by an old landslide, according to officials. BC Hydro says there has been recent slope movement around a pre-existing slide on the north bank of the Peace River. “The Peace River Valley has many pre-existing slides and the design of the excavation on the north bank is planned so that all historic slides in the dam site area will be completely removed by excavation work,” spokesman David Conway said in a statement. “Recently, there was some
slope movement in an area of a known pre-existing slide. Work was stopped while a plan was developed to safely remove the slide. Engineers have already reviewed this slide to ensure the excavation can continue safely and we expect work to resume shortly.” Peace River Hydro Partners spokeswoman Amber Harding confirmed the layoffs. Most of the 72 workers who were laid off were heavy equipment operators and labourers, she said. There is no timeline on when work will resume. “The layoff is not the same as a termination,” Harding said. “We may provide future opportunities for these workers once the crack has been addressed.” See SITE C on A4
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Petronas has officially pulled the plug on its $36-billion Pacific NorthWest LNG project in Prince Rupert. The company announced July 25 it is cancelling its Canadian LNG project. “We are disappointed that the extremely challenging environment brought about by the prolonged depressed prices and shifts in the energy industry have led us to this decision,” Anuar Taib, chairman of the PNW LNG board of directors, said in a statement. “Petronas and its North Montney Joint Venture partners remain committed to developing their significant natural gas assets in Canada and will continue to explore all options as part of its long-term investment strategy moving forward.” The significant gas assets Taib referred to are its holdings in the Montney of Northeast B.C., which were acquired when Petronas acquired Progress Energy. While it was in opposition, the NDP officially opposed the PNW LNG project. At a press conference Tuesday morning, one reporter asked
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newly minted Energy Minister Michelle Mungall what kind of message it sends to the international investment community for the NDP to lose a $36 billion project in its eighth day in office. Mungall said the cancellation was a decision based solely on market conditions. “The company was very clear. This was a decision they are making because of the economic challenges in the global energy marketplace. The Pacific NorthWest LNG project, as proposed in its current state, was uneconomical to move forward,” she said. “B.C. remains a player in the LNG sector,” she added, noting she would be calling other LNG players with interest in the province immediately after the press conference. “I’ll be talking to other LNG stakeholders to ensure we are ready to work with them moving forward, that we have a road map to get them to a full realization of their projects,” she said. Peace River North MLA Dan Davies called that action an “absolute must.” “They (the NDP) need to be, now more than ever, reaching out these proponents and working to get a deal, period,” he said. “We need to be showing the world that we are open for business. We’re a fantastic province. All these great things are already in place, we just need to show them that we’re willing to work with these proponents. That is key on what needs to happen right away.” See LNG on A3
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