THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10 2016 VOL. 73, NO. 92
SERVING FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES
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AMNESTY FORUM STARTS DISCUSSIONS
FROM THE POND TO THE PUPS
TRADING A PENCIL FOR A HAMMER
NEWS A4
SPORTS B1
COMMUNITY B9
When You Are Out in the Field, Time IS Money.
A DISPLAY OF REMEMBRANCE
Call Us For ALL Your OilďŹ eld Needs QUALITY PARTS, EXPERT SERVICE!
ALEISHA HENDRY PHOTO
Front to back Home Hardware employees Terri Pitman, Jesse Alten and Helena Walker worked with supervisor William Vipond to create an elaborate Remembrance Day display in the store’s entrance vestibule to honour our veterans. Customers can make a donation of any amount they choose to the Fort St. John legion and write the name of a loved one who served their country and have it as part of the display. Turn to A9 for more.
Off to the races:Woodfibre LNG plant ‘is a go’ JONNY WAKEFIELD reporter@dcdn.ca
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It’s been more than three years since Premier Christy Clark announced a plan to make British Columbia a liquefied natural gas powerhouse. On Friday, Nov. 4, B.C. finally got its first LNG plant under that plan. Woodfibre LNG, a facility proposed near Squamish, announced it would move forward with its $1.6 billion investment on Nov. 4. “This project is a go,� said Byng Giraud, Woodfibre LNG’s vice president of corporate affairs. Clark and Natural Gas Minister Rich Coleman attended the announcement at the former pulp mill site. “We’re delighted to say today that LNG in British Columbia is finally becoming a
Byng Giraud, Woodfibre LNG’s vice president of corporate affairs, said the B.C. government’s decision to “offer a competitive electricity drive rate� for proponents using more expensive electricity-powered liquefaction technologies tipped the balance in favour of building the project.
Signs of improvement in Peace economy Some see recovery in busier highways, stores, hotels JONNY WAKEFIELD reporter@dcdn.ca
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reality,� Clark said. “(The) decision is an important one for this community, the workers on this site, and the people of this province.� Woodfibre, which would source much of its gas from the South Peace area, would create 650 jobs during construction and 100 operations jobs. Woodfibre is one of the smallest LNG plants proposed for the B.C. coast, and would be a fraction of the size of Pacific NorthWest LNG—the controversial facility proposed for Lelu Island near Prince Rupert. Woodfibre is licenced to export just 2.1 million tonnes of gas per year, compared to the 19.68 million tonnes Pacific NorthWest could produce.
Whenever Kevin Kurjata wants to get a feel for the state of the local economy, he stops by a late night convenience store and chats with the staff. “The guys that work the midnight shift, they’ll usually give you hard numbers� including sales and customer counts, said Kurjata, a Dawson Creek realtor. “Who’s buying coffee at four in the morning? I need to know.�
Like many in Northeast B.C., those clerks are seeing signs of recovery after the worst oil and gas downturn in a generation. Full hotel parking lots, declining vacancy rates and busier highways are leading many to believe the region has finally turned the corner. But while the local economy appears to be improving, the official statistics have yet to catch up. According to Statistics Canada’s Nov. 4 jobs report, Northeast B.C.’s unemploy-
ment rate continues to hover near ten per cent. As far as the CMHC knows, Fort St. John and Dawson Creek continue to have the highest vacancy rates in the province. But Kathleen Connolly, director of the Dawson Creek and District Chamber of Commerce, sees reason for optimism. After months of empty highways, Connolly is happy to see traffic jams on her drive to work.
PAVING 100 Canadian
Residential • Commercial • Industrial Roads • Driveways • Parking Lots
See ECONOMY on A15
See WOODFIBRE on A7
280 wells to be drilled in B.C. next year The Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC) is predicting 40 fewer wells to be drilled in B.C. in 2017, while drilling increases in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The association released its 2017 outlook on Nov. 2, predicting a total of 4,175 wells to be drilled across Canada next year, up from the 3,950 wells it expects to be drilled by the end of this year. See WELLS on A3
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