Industry & Trades

AND

Industry TRADES

WIND AND POWER PG THE POWER OF 10 B.C.’S FUTURE

PG 19 Citizen photo

by Brent Braaten

seismologist FOR NORTHERN B.C.

WOOD INNOVATION AND DESIGN CENTRE

NEW BUILDING TO HELP LEAD AND INSPIRE

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Table of COntents Page 4 Tabor Mountain as a giant rec site…........................................................................... Page 6 Innovation Central Society has new leadership........................................................ Page 8 The power of B.C.’s future…....................................................................................... Page 10 Forest Industry sets example for business success................................................. Page 12 Liquefied natural gas still brewing…........................................................................ Page 14 NMP is 10 years old....................................................................................................... Page 18 Northern B.C. to have its own seismologist…......................................................... Page 19 Economic diversity is looking to fly..........................................................................Page 20 New Wood Innovation and Design Centre building….........................................Page 22 Downtown businesses getting facelifts................................................................... Page 24 National economy drives through PG…..................................................................Page 26 Supreme Court Case opened the window............................................................... Page 28 Creatively expressing forestry…............................................................................... Page 30

O’Brien Training moves downtown.............................................................................

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The use of wood through out the stair wells in the WIDIC.

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4 Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

Wood columns are placed in front of the new O’Brien Training building on Second Avenue.

O’BRIEN TRAINING MOVES DOWNTOWN

NEW CBUHILDAINPG’STELIRFE IN A

Frank Peebles Citizen Staff The crane got the final beams in place just before the snow started falling. These were the final exterior touches to a renovation that was really more like a complete rebuild at 1320 3rd Ave. It is an old building. Long vacant, it was most recently a windshield replacement shop, but it dates back many decades. Now it is home to O’Brien Training and the corporate offices of some partner companies. They were formerly based in the BCR Industrial Site but proprietor Dan O’Brien wanted to be downtown.

“This is going to be a great fit for us,” he said this week as the giant fir posts were set in place in the background, the crowning phase of a sixfigure investment in the structure. “It’s great to be accessible like we’ve never been before. Our students can come here, all our partners can come here easily, it’s a big step forward for our operation.”

The school teaches students of all ages and walks of life how to operate heavy equipment, lay pipelines and drive trucks. They have active industrial sites in the forest for teaching the practi-

cal elements of this, so there won’t be an influx of skidders and excavators in the business district, but the classroom components, conferences, meetings, exams, air breaks courses, etc. will be done right inside the city core rather than hived off on the outskirts.

O’Brien didn’t want to meekly slide into old downtown aesthetic habits. The building he bought has a history, and it was a blank canvas with which to work. During the purchase process he started taking pictures and writing notes of places around the city that had features he liked.

The result is a hybrid of the best of Prince George, and the main visual ingredient is wood.

“I got the fir timbers from Timberspan, and all the cedar comes from the Penny area and I got that from Sandy Long at LPL Cedar Sales so local mills did the work using locally obtained wood,” O’Brien said. “We’ve got a bunch of new buildings in downtown Prince George looking good with wood: the Wood Innovation And Design Centre, the new BCGEU building going up, the RCMP building, and if you look around you see a lot of improvements being made to buildings all over the downtown, so it’s a great time to be moving in.”

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Story continued from page 4 He said there were two kinds of downtown landlords right now. “One set of people is giving their buildings a facelift and showing some respect to the residents of the city by improving their property, and you’ve got the others who have a lot of money and don’t want to lift a finger to reinvest in their buildings, they just let it fall apart in front of everybody.”

Like a boy with a new toy, O’Brien directs attention across the street to the Maison Furniture building and Kelly O’Bryan’s Restaurant. He explained that the restaurant side was one of the city’s oldest buildings and was originally a horse stable. The furniture store addition was built originally as a bakery. The horses were used to deliver the fresh bread by wagon. The mural on the east side of the building hints at this history.

That’s where his own building comes into the story.

“William Allen was the owner of the bakery and the stables, and when times changed and he switched from horses over to trucks to deliver the bread, he built this building of mine for the trucks,” he said. “It’s a cool connection to local history. I’m hoping what we’re doing to the place will add a lot more years to this place.”

He constructed the interior with LED lighting, vaulted ceilings transitioning into roof-level windows for natural light, a highend heating system, and outdoor illumination features, as well as a secure fenced compound for exterior storage.

In addition to O’Brien Training and Taylor Driving School, the partner businesses that help instruct the students include Bid Right Contracting, Mack Brothers Logging (both doing contract work for West Fraser Timber), and another new aspect of the business O’Brien was excited to disclose. All would have some if not all their corporate presence inside the newly revamped location.

MERGING WITH HUMAN RESOURCES Take one of the city’s top young entrepreneurs in the industrial training sector, add one of the city’s top young entrepreneurs in the human resources sector, and count the jobs that flow from this equation.

Dan O’Brien is one of Canada’s foremost forestry up-and-comers (He made Wood Business Magazine’s list of Top 20 Under 40 in the nation) with multiple companies and sub-companies attached to his name. He runs forestry and construction companies but also heavy equipment training, pipeline construction courses and a truck driver school.

Tysheina McCoy was a human resources specialist with Canfor and other large firms before she opened her own headhunter office, Core Recruitment, in Prince George about 18 months ago.

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INDUSTRY AND TRADES

O’Brien Training and Core Recruitment welded onto each other at the end of 2014 to offer each other’s clients more than they could ever receive before when they were apart.

Now the two of them are merged. O’Brien Training and Core Recruitment welded onto each other at the end of 2014 to offer each other’s clients more than they could ever receive before when they were apart.

“It was the next logical step for us,” said O’Brien.

“With our move downtown [his company headquarters had been deep in the BCR Industrial Site] and all the different branches of training we now offer, having an on-site career placement service was just perfect. Now our clients can get trained and also get a good jump on finding a job with their new skills.”

“It gives us great market penetration we never had on our own,” said McCoy. “Dan has a great reputation in the world of industry and in the

5 business circles of Prince George. We are new.

We are just getting our reputation to circulate. This changes everything for the better.”

Core Recruitment was already located downtown, but their prior location was somewhat obscured within a larger building. For both firms in this merger, they now have unprecedented storefront downtown visibility, located in a significantly renovated and redesigned building on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Quebec Street across from Kelly O’Bryan’s Restaurant.

The relocation doesn’t change any of O’Brien’s activities, since most of the equipment was stored at training sites out in the field. It does provide easier access for students to their front office and classrooms.

For McCoy, all her previous clients will be seamlessly retained, but all of the O’Brien Training students have in-house access to job readiness services as well as the schooling.

“We are in the same space, we will be helping each other in every way we can, but we are operating as two separate companies, just hand-inhand,” said McCoy. “We offer each other a natural flow of interconnected services neither of us had before.”

“The whole economy right now is being affected by the people-factor,” said O’Brien.

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INDUSTRY AND TRADES Citizen photo by David MAH

Tabor Mountain shrouded in low cloud.

local industry works to establish

tabor mountain as a giant rec site

The North Shore mountains look so close from downtown Vancouver you could touch them, but with all the traffic, the bridges, the stop lights, the long and winding roads upwards, it takes an effort to actually get there.

In Prince George, Tabor Mountain is 30 minutes away and on all sides of the tallest natural feature in the immediate area, recreation facilities are being built alongside of the ones already there. It has world-class downhill skiing and boarding, thanks to major upgrades to the Tabor Mountain Ski Resort in preparation for 2015 Canada Winter Games events. It has wheelchair accessible touring trails. It has a snowmobile clubhouse that is also home to ATV riders and horseback enthusiasts. There are hundreds of kilometers of trails for nordic skiing and hiking.

Cabins, lookout points and small lakes dot the Tabor landscape. You can even hit one wilderness thoroughfare through the woods and rolling mountains directly into downtown historic Barkerville.

It is an all-seasons rural playground right in the back yard of the city.

Nothing about these facilities is accidental or haphazard. The initial stages of development date back to the middle of the 20th century when a division of the Sons of Norway association first started cutting trails for skiing and walking. Other recreation groups carved out a spot here and there for their various activities.

But over time there were mergers of interest and eventually the Tabor Mountain Recreation Society and a key employee of the provincial government drove forward a planning campaign to consolidate the vision for what would be one of Canada’s premier multi-use outdoor lifestyle facilities.

“Yes, it is the biggest urban outdoor recreation site we know of, but it was also the biggest conflict between user groups,” said Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (Sites and Trails BC division) recreation officer Mikel Leclerc, the unofficial leader of the Tabor Mountain initiative. “You could write a book on the mini-successes that added up into the overall plan we now have documented – where one group was at odds with another group, but they worked it out, or some few individuals did important work, went to extraordinary lengths, to bring this forward. It could have failed, very easily, but people were passionate and in the end, everyone wanted to see this happen, even the ones who were worried they had something to lose.”

Proprietary negotiations had to take place with a number of forestry companies, for example. Tabor Mountain is so big it has several cell and radio towers, many roads, gravel extraction, mining claims, farms, a proposed hydro line, private homes, and many areas of active logging by the likes of Carrier Lumber and Canfor.

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Leclerc would give no details but disclosed that these industrial players were the most resistant to an overarching recreational plan, essentially worrying that it would block them from fulfilling their wood harvesting obligations or it would invite liability onto them in the name of someone else’s recreational aspirations.

Suffice to say, said Leclerc, this eventually got ironed out.

“I tried to do what I could to reduce the conflicts and step forward with the tools of the provincial government to move things forward.

Who likes fighting anyway?”

Public forums were held to foster the best ideas, smoke out the problems, and boost the communication between all the diverse interest groups with a stake in Tabor Mountain. The last one “was a packed house and it was unanimous,” said Steven Dubas, a local member of the Horse Council of BC (one of the Tabor user groups) and the president of the Tabor Mountain Recreation Society that formed around the collective dreams for the place.

Other key leaders in the society were Randy

Ellenchuk of the Prince George ATV Club, Norm Clark of the Sons of Norway Ski Club, Bob Bullock of the PG Horse Society, April Bilawchuk who worked with Leclerc at the ministry, and professional forester Ken Hodges who authored the definitive feasibility study that is now the group’s working document.

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Public forums were held to foster the best ideas, smoke out the problems, and boost the communication between all the diverse interest groups with a stake in Tabor Mountain.

Under the society, nine recreation groups have collective control over 27 staging areas, 407 kilometres of trails, and many more features. A partnership agreement exists between them all, and the provincial government eventually, after much consultation, gave the plan the power of law.

“One of the first things we had to do as a group was decide on priorities,” said Dubas. “We

have a lot of things we want to do, but there are a lot of things already done, and that needed to be maintained. There was a huge need to rehabilitate a lot of the trails. There was blowdown, hanging trees, a lot of public safety concern.

We have a hard time maintaining everything we have now, but with the working plan and the partnership agreement, we can focus our attention with some certainty. We definitely need money, but since everything got sorted out, we have forest companies and other contractors who happen to be working in the area donating thousands of dollars to us in the use of their equipment, materials and labour, just because they were in that area and knew there was a need for something. Now that the decisions have been made by government, the attitude of those companies – even the ones that were opposed to this – is right on board with is. It is powerful.

We are just in awe.”

Carrier Lumber spontaneously helped to build a key new bridge. Forbes Construction built most of a parking lot and another bridge. Canfor built some roads.

“Even contractors who have almost zero profit margin in that place will still give of themselves because they’ve heard what we plan to do here and they see the public benefit,” said Leclerc.

On the north slope of the mountain, alongside Highway 16, is where Tabor Mountain Ski Resort is located. Although it is the biggest single private enterprise on the mountain, it still takes up only a sliver of the overall footprint. The designated recreation area is about 35,000 hectares.

The mountain’s peak has an elevation of 1,240 metres.

It is heavily forested in some areas, open meadows in others, possessing about a dozen small lakes and large Tabor Lake at the foot of the mountain, with rolling hills, wetlands and several creeks around its perimeter, ample wildlife and breathtaking views in every direction aided by cabins and lookout points. It was a well used area by the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation and all these plans have been made with early and ongoing consultation with LTFN administration.

It’s an old adage that when even small groups put aside differences and work together, they can move mountains. Perhaps that’s true in extreme cases, said this initiative’s main organizers, but better yet you can move self-interested fear out of the way and discover a whole mountain waiting to be enjoyed within minutes of downtown Prince George.

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INNOVATION CENTRAL SOCIETY has

new LEADERSHIP

Innovation Central Society (ICS) has innovated itself. A new executive director has now taken the helm at the business and technology booster agency. Robert Quibell is moving the organization forward, which he sees as moving the entire community forward.

“Our job is to foster new business, to help the best entrepreneurial ideas in the region come to fruition, to transform the economy from within, so I’m really excited to be able to play a part in that,” said Quibell.

He was once on the other side of the ICS desk. Quibell has been involved in a number of business ventures over the years, the latest being Vortex Social Marketing. He knew the founding executive director of ICS, Ernest Daddey, before Daddey moved on to other ventures and was part of some ICS development sessions.

Quibell appreciated the help ICS provided so much that when the chance came to lead the organization himself, he jumped at it.

“I think the mandate is awesome,” he said. “If you had asked

me right out of university what my dream job would be, I’d have described this one. I think the amount of potential in Prince George is absolutely phenomenal and it’s an honour to be involved in seeing that growth happen for people.”

The mission of ICS is to develop innovative ideas into successful business ventures, with specific focus on technological ventures.

Some of the ICS offerings include: - access to government grants and funding; - connections to strategic partners; - preparation for “angel investment”; - portfolio development as a marketing tool for sales; - assistance in positioning of local, regional and international business opportunities, acceleration and market penetration; - assistance with revenue generation and jobs creation.

They hold dry runs to train entrepreneurs how to best represent themselves in “dragon’s den” pitch sessions, they have a Venture Acceleration Program to teach specifics of taking an early

idea and getting it ready for the open market, access to mentors who can share real-world tips to startup business owners or inventors of new products/services, and many other resources.

“We aren’t about people who want to work their 40 hours a week for somebody and collect a paycheque. That is fine for a lot of people, but we are about those folks who want to turn an invention or business idea into a business,” Quibell said. “Now I get to do this all day long - connect those people with other people or programs or learning opportunities to get those innovations up on their feet and running. When that happens, it creates jobs in our community, it diversifies our local economy, and it breaks ground for more business startups and inventors.”

Quibell has a Masters of Business Administration, he has been an employment counsellor, his first degree was in kineseology, he has worked for others and worked for himself.

Quibell can be reached at his office in the Community Futures complex (1566 7th Ave.) or by calling 250-562-9622 x108.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

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WIND and WATER -THE POWER OF B.C.’S FUTURE

The provincial power grid passed two major milestones in the past few weeks.

Firstly, the proposed Site C Dam was given the provincial green light to be built in northeastern B.C. Secondly, alternative energy was given a nod when a wind farm proposal was also given the provincial thumbs up not far, as the crow flies, from the Site C location.

The province’s minister responsible for energy, Bill Bennett, said a cheap and dependable electricity supply was essential to B.C.’s economic fortunes. It was one of the selling features used on his recent trip to Ontario, he said, when trying to attract industrial and commercial investment.

“Site C is the right decision,” said Bennett. “There was no question about it, after all was looked at - when you consider the due diligence that BC Hydro did and the BC government staff did. Some people are second guessing some of that, but it was the right decision.”

It was not the only form of electricity generation that was on the government’s radar, he said. Geothermal, wind, solar, natural gas, run-of-river turbines, even coal were calculated against the Site C option but he said cost and technology advancements were such that Site C was still the dominant option.

“We looked at those alternate energy possibilities but Site C was just the best choice for the rate payer - and that is you and me,” he said, but added “I doubt another major dam will ever be build in B.C.” That certainty is based on the trajectory of the technological advancements being made by the alternate energy sector, he said. As proof, he pointed directly at the Meikle Wind Energy Project located near Tumbler Ridge - a $400-million investment. Commencement of construction was announced Monday.

The project will utilize 61 wind turbine generators to provide 185 megawatts of capacity and enough clean, renewable energy to the BC Hydro grid each year to power the equivalent of approximately 54,000 homes.

“As we begin construction activities on the largest wind

energy project in British Columbia, we are especially appreciative for the local support and partnerships with the Government, BC Hydro and First Nations that have made the Meikle Wind project a reality,” said Michael Garland, CEO of Pattern Development, the company behind the wind farm. They own 12 wind-power projects in Canada, the U.S. and Chile. “We are excited to create clean, renewable energy and economic development for the province.

Over the first 25 years of operations, Meikle Wind is estimated to contribute over $70 million in payments for property taxes, the Crown lease, Wind Participation Rent, and community benefits.”

Mike Bernier is the former mayor of nearby Chetwynd, and is now the MLA for the Peace River South riding in which the new wind farm sits.

“At a time when the declining price of coal has hurt the mining industry in the Peace River region the energy sector is providing employment and economic opportunities,” Bernier said. “The Meikle Wind Energy Project and the Site C Clean Energy Project will bring badly needed jobs for local workers and revenues for local businesses.”

Bennett said the same area is loaded in coal, but it is mostly metallurgic coal used in the making of steel not burning for power. He heard the calls for coal to be put on the energy table for consideration, but the variation in our mountains and the kind of pollution it creates - although emissions technology has come a long way in recent years to cleaning up coal - made this a non-issue for B.C.’s power grid.

“We have so many choices, we don’t even have to go there,” he said. “We just have so many other, better choices.

People ought to be proud of what B.C. has done in its history, BC Hydro in particular, at building a system through the province that serves the public and industry exceptionally well.”

Site C will provide about 8 per cent of the overall power available to the B.C. electricity grid, Bennett said, and for future developments he would be looking to the alternate energy sector almost exclusively from now on.

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INDUSTRY AND TRADES Story continued from page10 “Today is an exciting day for the clean energy sector in British Columbia,” said Paul Kariya, executive director of the Clean Energy Association of BC. “By employing 175 workers on-site throughout the project’s construction and producing the power equivalent of 54,000 homes, the Meikle Wind Project is an example of the clean energy sector enabling economic development in the province through cost effective, clean power. Our members are eager to continue working with government and BC Hydro to meet B.C.’s future energy demands as other resource sectors continue to grow and thrive.”

Robert Hornung, president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association, said his part of the alternate energy sector was looking forward to the future in B.C. “Wind energy has brought important economic benefits to several communities across British Columbia and we are pleased to see construction begin on the new Meikle Wind Energy Project,” he said. “As British Columbia’s electricity demand grows, wind energy represents the bulk of British Columbia’s lowest-cost, emission-free, renewable energy generation opportunities. With a world-class wind resource, declining costs and broad support across the province, we are keen to work with all stakeholders to ensure that new wind energy projects can supply clean energy for British Columbia both today and in the future while providing new economic development opportunities for local communities and First Nations.”

BC Hydro’s boss, Jessica McDonald, said the post-Site C pos-

January 2015

sibilities for alternative energy were not just idle thoughts. The groundwork was already being laid, and the Meikle wind farm was just one of several examples of the Crown corporation’s serious approach to green power as the future of B.C.’s energy.

“I’m pleased to see wind energy projects being added to BC Hydro’s clean energy portfolio, said McDonald. “We currently have four wind projects providing power to the provincial grid with several under consideration though our Standing Offer Program - a streamlined program offering opportunities for small power projects. When Meikle comes online, it will provide the highest capacity of all of our wind resources.”

Meikle will represent a 38 per cent increase in the contribution of wind to the power supply of the province, joining the following preexisting sites: • the 144-megawatt Dokie Wind Energy project near Chetwynd.

• the 102-megawatt Bear Mountain Wind project near Dawson Creek.

• the 142-megawatt Quality Wind project near Tumbler Ridge.

• the 99-megawatt Cape Scott Wind Farm on the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

Construction has commenced with vegetation clearing underway and major activities are expected to begin in June of this year. Project construction will last for 24 months, with commercial operation anticipated by the end of 2016. The project is estimated to generate an average of 175 jobs through construction and nine full-time jobs once in operation.

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forest industry Pierre Cleroux

sets example

for business success

The business environment, like the natural one, is full of stark realities. The strong survive. The adapters thrive. No matter how successful you were yesterday, you could fall casualty today if you let your guard down, but then again the lessons of yesterday can improve your defenses.

It wasn’t the study of ecology that Pierre Cleroux brought to Prince George, but something quite similar. He, the chief economist and vice-president of research of the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), came bearing the BDC’s latest research on Canadian business.

He said there were lessons for 21st century economic survival within the data, and some critical ones could be found in the B.C. forest.

“I think the surprise discovery in our research was, I would say, the 20 per cent of those businesses in our sample that were successful firms but they struggled because they lost one single consumer,” said Cleroux. “You are supposed to diversify your client base, and sometimes we forget that. Because as it turns out, if you don’t, one client loss is enough to put you behind your success goals. The prime example of that is the B.C. forest industry. The vast majority of sales were to the United States, and then the U.S. market crashed.”

But that is only the start of the forest industry as the instructive example. Cleroux quickly added the second part of this cautionary business tale.

“What did the forest industry do? Now they are selling a lot more to the Asian market. That’s great leadership for other sectors to take note of. That is

exactly what the research is showing - that you are best served by a multitude of customers.

“The businesses in B.C. are the ones in Canada selling the most into emerging countries,” he added. “That is really positive. We should really be looking at emerging middle classes, countries where the populations can afford to buy those goods of yours. The Canadian brand is really strong in those Asian markets, they are emerging economies there, more than one, so British Columbia is well positioned to capitalize on that.

“But don’t get me wrong, the United States is improving and it is still the No. 1 economy in the world, and that is a natural market for us. The lumber industry in British Columbia is a great example on that point too, because 50 per cent of lumber exports now go to Asia. Ten years ago almost 100 per cent was to U.S. So the States is there, that market is getting healthier again, but now we have market options and we should be using those options, on a company by company basis, so we maintain diversity in the customer base and don’t backslide to that scenario again where mills are selling almost everything to one place.”

Another lesson the BDC researchers found in this latest round of data collection was the importance of relationships - but more than ever before it was not exclusively customer relations that brought success for businesses.

“We are told in business to be close with our customers, and that is still important but this is showing that strong relationships, including sharing our long-term objectives with our suppliers, is a key factor.

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INDUSTRY AND TRADES Story continued from page 12 When you want to grow, you need to make sure people who are your partners - your suppliers - are able to follow you. You need that mutual support.

“Successful entrepreneurs are the ones who build strong relations - with suppliers, with employees, with asking advice of others who are more expert than you are. These are not off the table for any business no matter what you do. It is

advice accessible to everybody.”

In addition to insulating your business against the loss of a too-dominant single client, it was also important to insulate against a single unexpected life event – a fire, a flood, losing a key employee, etc. – which might well require innovative thinking to have a Plan B in place before it is needed.

Innovation is not only a good idea, said Cleroux, it is one of the hallmarks of businesses that succeed, according to the data they mined from the cross-Canada research.

“We were interested to find the solutions were quite similar, no matter what region or what sector you are in,” he said. “Innovation was the key one, that was consistent across all sectors. Entrepreneurs try to improve their products and their services. They won’t tell you ‘oh I did an innovation’ but they will say ‘I made an improvement’ and it doesn’t have to mean a lot of investment money. R-and-D [research and development] can be expensive, but a lot of businesses take smaller incremental steps. Innovation doesn’t mean large investment all the time, just stay focused on improvements.”

If a business feels their bottom line starting to

13 slip away, the BDC is there for advice, counsel, perhaps even helpful investment.

Just don’t, Cleroux stressed, leave it for long. Life jackets are not thrown on at the last second when a storm blows up, and neither should the asking of advice be put off until the business ship is going down.

For a complete synopsis of the BDC’s analysis, look up their report online entitled The Five Do’s And Five Don’ts Of Successful Businesses, or drop into the local BDC office.

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CAREERS

Industry & Trades INDUSTRY AND TRADES

Liquefied Natural Gas

stillforbrewing b.c. economy Bill Bennett Minister of Energy and Mines

Commodity prices have dropped, world supply has been deemed greater than first thought, and B.C.’s regulation development took a longer time than global industry wished. Nonetheless, natural gas - and specifically liquefied natural gas (LNG) is seen as the province’s best economic resource to diversify the economy.

“I can say confidently that you are going to see the LNG industry move forward in the year ahead,” said Minister of Energy and Mines Bill Bennett on the eve of the Natural Resources Forum held in Prince George this week.

Rich Coleman, the Minister of Natural Gas Development, said it took three years for the province to set up its regulatory and taxation system for this relatively new industry but the leading proponents were set to pull the trigger on multi-million-dollar investments

Rich Coleman Minister of Natural Gas Development

in the province that would give thousands of person-hours of employment and make use of a B.C. commodity that was abundant in our province and cleaner than alternatives like coal currently being used in Asia, where the LNG was set to be sold.

“We anticipate British Columbia’s LNG industry will take flight in 2015 as leading proponents make final decisions to move forward with some of the largest capital projects in our province’s history,” Coleman said.

“Over the last year, the province has put in place a competitive policy framework that defines the playing field. The LNG income tax framework gives companies the certainty they need to make investment decisions, while legislation has been passed to establish greenhouse gas emission targets that will make B.C. LNG facilities the cleanest in the world.

John Rustad Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation

We’ve done the work needed to enter the global LNG market and bring new revenues, jobs and economic security to B.C. residents.”

Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation John Rustad said LNG represented a large economic opportunity not only for provincial coffers but for First Nations governments as well. Each natural gas extraction project, pipeline project and LNG terminal proposal was in the jurisdiction of multiple aboriginal nations.

“We have about 20 First Nations agreements already signed and counting,” Rustad said. “Those are taxation sharing agreements with the provincial government, so that doesn’t count the individual discussion tables between the First Nations and the companies, we aren’t party to those discussions, so I am anticipating many exciting developments across the north for our First Nations in 2015.”

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Story continued from page 14 There are 18 LNG project proposals on the table. Coleman said six of them have gone so far as to obtain Environmental Assessment Certificates: the Westcoast Connector Gas Transmission pipeline, the Pacific NorthWest LNG export facility in Port Edward, the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline, the Pacific Trail Pipeline, the Kitimat LNG project in Bish Cove, and Coastal GasLink Pipeline.

“One project signed an agreement with BC Hydro to use clean renewable electricity, and a number of pipeline benefit agreements have been signed with First Nations, paving the way for pipelines to bring natural gas from northeast B.C. to LNG facilities on our coast,” Coleman listed as indications the private sector is now

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responding positively to the policy groundwork completed in the past year. But most important in his mind was the investment made in securing the drilling rights.

“One of our province’s largest Crown land sales in history occurred near the end of 2014 with industry contributing over $209 million for exploration rights alone,” he said.

He said the natural gas industry already employs more than 13,000 people in B.C. and has generated in excess of $15 billion in the past 10 years, all without the LNG sector having a single export facility.

“Our goal remains [the] target of three LNG facilities by 2020,” said Coleman. “I’m look forward to a remarkable 2015 as we reinvent a mature industry and turn a vast supply of natural gas into Canada’s next economic success story.”

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The northern medical program now

a decade old

First-year med students can’t believe the star treatment they get from the public, when people find out they are enrolled at the Northern Medical Program.

The NMP turned 10 years old with a birthday party on Jan. 16 at its UNBC headquarters. Several dignitaries and a lot of students were on hand to celebrate the province’s first medical school outside of the Lower Mainland.

“Whenever I’d mention I was in the NMP, the response was so excited,” said Dr. Heather Smith, a member of the very first NMP cohort and now a family practitioner. “I really knew it was a big deal when we made the front page of The Citizen just

because we took our exams.”

And she remembers a particular patient during a squeamish procedure calling her into the action.

“Well where’s that med student?,” the patient told the attending doctor. “She should put her finger there too.”

But that generosity of spirit hasn’t waned. The new crop of first-year students reports the same celebrity status out in the community and a mentorship ethic among local medical professionals that would stagger med students in other cities.

Former Prince Rupert student Susan Luong and former 108 Mile Ranch resident Scott Matlock both of whom moved to Prince George firstly to

attend UNBC undergraduate studies then decided to stay on as part of the UNBC-UBC jointly operated Northern Medical Program.

“I saw the tight-knit atmosphere among the medical students, and the faculty was always so enthusiastic and excited to be working in the north,” said Matlock.

“It’s been here for 10 years now, but the patients we talk to just light up when they find out we are training to be doctors,” said Luong.

Both are impressed by the small numbers of students per instructor, and mentioned over and over again about how much support there is for their education from the medical professionals already working in the area.

According to the latest statistics - a hard set of numbers to crunch considering the NMP is only 10 years old and it takes 14 years for some students to obtain their credentials in some specialties not offered in this area - the NMP’s original purpose is already coming to pass. Dr. Paul Winwood, the associate dean overseeing the program, said 30 per cent of those grads are already working in the north, two-thirds of the overall grads are working in rural and/or remote areas, and who knows how many will spend time in other regions only to come back to the north later. Also, the students added, even if they choose to practice medicine somewhere outside the north (both Luong and Matlock had at least tentative plans to remain in the region to practice) they would forever be ambassadors for northern B.C. The dignitaries who attended all spoke of the hard work necessary to convince the provincial government to establish the NMP, find the money for that investment, and stickhandle the multitude of political and fiscal hurdles that challenged the notion.

MLA Shirley Bond was, when the time to plan the medical school came up, the Minister of Advanced Education and had a deep love for the idea. She had been convinced by the organizers - most of them medical professionals - of a community rally in 2000 that demanded a northern

solution to deep problems in the overall medical system all across this region. She said “I still get chills when I think about the call” she got from then-premier Gordon Campbell telling her to go ahead with the program.

“There were a lot of cynics,” said Bond. “A lot of people thought it could never happen…I can hardly wait to celebrate what becomes possible in the next 15 or 20 years in northern B.C.” UNBC’s longtime president Charles Jago said “they were not easy discussions. They were often heated,” as the preliminary notion for a Prince George medical school took shape. He said he went to Campbell when he was still an opposition leader “and I asked him if this was a ball he was going to carry or a ball he was going to drop, and he told me he would carry it.”

The history of that ball being carried is much longer than 10 years, but the last decade are the 10 that count most, with dozens of new doctors each year now coming out of the Northern Medical Program and taking up positions by the bedsides of patients here and around the world who need their skills.

The head of the program, Dr. David Snadden, said he had his doubts in 2003 upon his arrival that the program would go from theoretical to actual in the one year written on his schedule, but it all came to pass.

“I look back on it and think ‘how did we manage it?’ but we did because of the people: the medical community in northern B.C., the people building the program at UBC and at UNBC, the construction people…This community should feel very proud of what it’s achieved.”

He said it was certainly true that many developments at the hospital – now called the University Hospital of Northern BC – would not have happened were it not for the Northern Medical Program, the BC Cancer Agency would not have built a cancer centre in northern B.C., the adjacent cancer lodge would not have been built, etc. all because the NMP was established by the force of community.

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mandate to collect

seismic data in

northern b.c.

19 Northern B.C. will soon have its own independent seismologist. Five partner agencies have pooled their resources so Dr. Alireza Babaie Mahani can spend the next two years checking on the underground tremors that are or are not caused by hydraulic fracturing and other industrial activity going on in the northeast quadrant of the province.

The five partners are Geoscience BC, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), the BC Oil & Gas Commission (BCOGC) and the Science and Community Environmental Knowledge Fund. They are acting together under a group they call the Induced Seismicity Monitoring Network Consortium.

“As part of his two-year contract with the consortium, Dr. Mahani will work closely with other seismology experts from NRCan’s Pacific Geoscience Centre and the BCOGC to monitor induced seismicity from natural gas development in northeast B.C. and study the relationship between fluid injection and potential large-magnitude seismic events,” said a written statement from Geoscience BC, the province’s leading agency collecting independent data on the underground features of the province.

Mahani is an engineering seismologist with experience in earthquake ground motion analysis from natural and manmade (induced) events and seismic hazard assessment.

According to the consortium, his credentials include presentations at leading conferences, research publication in journals including the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. from universities in Iran before moving to Canada in 2008 to pursue a Ph.D. program in geophysics at Western University, from which he graduated in 2013.

Leading up to his commencement as seismologist with the Consortium, he held a post-doctoral position at the University of Calgary.

“The enhanced seismic network is providing publicly available information that also enables the energy sector and the regulator to continue the safe and responsible development of B.C.’s natural gas resources,” said Carlos Salas, Geoscience BC’s vice-president specializing in the oil and gas sector. “We are excited about the addition of Dr. Mahini to the project, as his expertise will strengthen our understanding of the causes of induced seismicity and allow the Consortium to make recommendations about how to mitigate the potential effects of resource operations.”

The Consortium was formed in late 2012 in response to recommendations set forth in the BCOGC report called Investigation of Observed Seismicity in the Horn River Basin.

In spring 2013, six state-of-the-art seismographs were installed in northeast B.C. to complement two existing Canadian National Seismic Network stations. The collection of instruments was put in place so the public would have open-access data on the seismic activity created from natural gas operations.

The consortium has a five-year mandate to collect and analyze the seismic data. In November 2014, the BCOGC and NRCan added two more seismographs to the network.

Now they have added Mahani as a dedicated analyst.

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20

economic diversity

is looking to fly The future of Asia-Pacific trade is up in the air, but down on the Prince George ground, the runway to prosperity has been cleared. The final deal-breaker has finally been broken at the Prince George Airport (YXS). The final goal that started in 2006-07 with construction of the third longest runway in Canada (11,450 feet long and 150 feet wide) now has a checkmark beside it.

The expansion project for runway 15-33 started with big fanfare and controversy over why a city as small as Prince George would need such a piece of infrastructure. Those involved in national economic strategies and foreign trade policy never balked, however. They knew this was a strategic play to win long-term national investment, diversify the northern B.C. economy, and create sustainable jobs outside of the natural resource sector.

Some of the other goals that got checkmarks first were arrival/departure improvements, traffic flow, getting international customs services, and making real that tarmac long enough to handle trans-oceanic planes. Building the connection route (Boundary Road) between the city’s other cargo transportation modes (major highways, the converging rail lines) was another major step on that long walk.

None of it meant much without a refuelling apron, however. Those kinds of planes require particular kinds and quantities of fuel that YXS could not provide until this past year when that final piece of the infrastructure puzzle was put in place much more quietly than the others.

“We can now look to find more planes to fuel up,” said Prince George Airport CEO John Gibson.

This sector of the industry alone - the refuelling flyby - can be lucrative for any airport. It can bring exponential benefits for an entire community when the refuelling is also part of the loading and unloading of passengers and cargo.

“We will be building up the number of companies putting fuel into the tanks and marketing ourselves to land more planes here for refueling,” Gibson said. It is hard to understand for the average person who sees planes at all manner of airports fuelling up as part of their routines, but Gibson explained that this is usually done by private sector interests who rent space from the airport.

“Airports don’t normally fuel up airplanes so we are breaking some ground here by building this service ourselves, but it will be of benefit to all the air carriers and stimulate the rest of the business we hope to have. It is unusual but it is all going according to plan.”

With the CN Rail inland port at the downtown rail yard, the train tracks that intersect here from all directions, the highways that intersect here from all directions, and Prince George’s geographically advantageous position between the Asian and North American consumer markets, it makes economic logic to also have a wellprovisioned YXS. The movement of products is helped by all three modes interlocking in one place.

But for that to happen, one more item is still on the YXS wish list. Again, it is something normally built by the private sector, and so not an item the owners of an airport would typically build themselves: storage.

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INDUSTRY AND TRADES Story continued from page 20 The privately owned property along Boundary Road right next door to the airport is zoned for future logistics buildings - the warehouses in which shipping companies store and sort their incoming / outgoing wares – but there is no indication any such buildings will be set up in the short term. So, like the fuelling apron initiative, the airport itself is taking steps to spark that fire.

“It is not normal for an airport to provide cargo facilities, but we need to stimulate that sector, so we are in talks to match up with the right partners,” said Gibson. “We are in negotiations to do with cargo property development on our own property.

That’ll start to anchor down the rest of that side of the business. We are just trying to find the right partner.”

With the past several years devoted to positioning the airport for international trade, some of the YXS basics have been deferred down the priority list. Gibson said they could no longer ignore some of those.

“We are gearing up to rehabilitate our cross-wind runway (06-24), and install a new lighting system there, because it hasn’t had a significant upgrade since 1983,” he said. “We have done basic maintenance, but if you don’t eventually grind down and resurface the whole thing, you get degradation of the subsurface and then all kinds of expensive problems emerge. We are at that point, so we want to be on it now.”

The resurfacing will cost between $7 million and $8 million, while the new lighting will cost another $2 million or so.

For a top-end estimated cost of $10 million, an airport can connect your community to the world, said Gibson, but you get much less distance travelled for your buck - only a few kilometres of railway or highway - for the same investment in other transportation industries.

He stressed, though, that the air industry needs the close partnership of road and rail stakeholders. He is concerned, as are his counterparts at similarly sized airports across Canada, that the money collected by the federal government at their door is not returned to them for purposes like common infrastructure needs.

“We are in a user-pay system even if the States is a highly subsidized system,” he said [an already uneven playing field in thick competition with airports like Anchorage and Seattle].

“Airports in Canada pay close to $300 million per year in rent for the federal land we are on. It is a tax on gross revenue, is the model being used for that, which is a bit cock-eyed in our opinion. But regardless of the formula, we ask are we getting maximum value for that $300 million? No, we don’t believe we are.

We want to see the formula changed and we want to see that money turned around and used for airport infrastructure as it was supposed to be all along, since that benefits the national economy directly.”

In spite of these funding challenges, YXS is growing. The number of passengers through their doors in 2014 is expected to surpass 440,000 by the time all the numbers are tallied, and with the Canada Winter Games pumping thousands of otherwise unscheduled passengers over the YXS threshold, the 2015 numbers are expected to be even better.

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NEW BUILDING TO

HELP LEAD AND INSPIRE

INDUSTRY AND TRADES The Wood Innovation and Design Centre is officially open, after years on the provincial wishlist and construction process.

Some interior finishing is still underway but the six-story, ultra-modern, academic/commercial tower is now ready for business in downtown Prince George. It was promised by the provincial government as far back as 2008, the plans took a bumpy and controversial path to ground-breaking in April, 2013, but officials applauded the completed efforts - on time and on budget.

“This is an iconic building,” said Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training / Labour Shirley Bond, who, with fellow MLAs Pat Bell and Mike Morris, did the political work within government to make the dream a reality.

“We might take it for granted - watching it go up day by day - but it is so much more than a building,” Bond said. “It is a vision of collaboration and working together as a province in the heart of the province.”

The 29.5-metre structure required the partnership of 13 B.C. companies and 250 personnel. Its tenants will be UNBC on the first three floors, a temporary Canada Winter Games contract as the base of all media operations during this winter’s extravaganza, and talks underway with undisclosed stakeholders to permanently let out the upper three floors. According to Shared Services BC staffers, the price to rent is $31 per square foot, all in (taxes, utilities, etc.).

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“It is a vision of collaboration and working together as a province in the heart of the province,” said Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training / Labour Shirley Bond.

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

Ribbon cutting for the WIDIC building on George Street. Left to right UNBC president Daniel Weeks, Mayor Shari Green, MLA Shirley Bond, MLA Mike Morris and 2015 Canada Winter Games CEO Stuart Ballentyne.

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Story continued from page 22 The parts of the building that are already spoken for are getting ready for the task of seeing this building full of wood innovations and raising it exponentially. It will house specialty courses dedicated to advancing the engineering and utilization of wood as a construction material. Friday was the first day on UNBC’s payroll for senior lab instructor Maik Gehloff. He talked about how world-leading robotics and pressuretesting tools would be some of the assets in the ground-floor laboratory. Yet “some things have to be learned by hand” so the facility would be both high-tech and grassroots in its approach to creating the construction industry of the future.

As for the people who used present technologies to accomplish this facility - one of the tallest all-wood towers in North America - Bond said “you did a phenomenal job and we are proud of you” on the design and construction team.

“We try to inspire, do our best to lead and innovate, and with this building B.C. is leading the way,” said UNBC president Daniel Weeks.

“And we will lead the way in teaching our graduates how to use this material even better, using this building as inspiration.”

Weeks confirmed that “just last week, the UNBC senate approved courses in areas such as structural and sustainable design, wood science, and wood processing that will comprise our master of engineering in integrated wood design. We can now see that the programming offered in the WIDC will be as inspiring, practical and innovative as the building itself.”

Then-mayor Shari Green watched the building grow, step by step, from her line of sight out her office window in City Hall. Cutting the ribbon on the WIDC building was her last major act in municipal government, as she stepped down as

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“We try to inspire, do our best to lead and innovate, and with this building B.C. is leading the way,” said UNBC president Daniel Weeks.

mayor soon after. She said she could still remember the day the city announced it had purchased the site of the PG Hotel in order to revitalize downtown Prince George.

“We didn’t know then this site would used for the Wood Innovation and Design Centre, the city owns other downtown properties that were considered, but it was a unanimous decision [at the council table] that this is where it should be housed. It was the right decision.”

There is some solace to those who recognized the historical value in the old wooden hotel, and

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

One of the lecture theatres in the WIDIC building that was officially opened. wanted it saved but in vain due to flood damage, that the building put back on its footprint is also an all-wooden structure that will likely be preserved for all time as a functional tribute to the history of the city’s relationship to the forest.

Michael Green, lead architect, Michael Green Architecture - “The WIDC project is a global milestone for mass timber construction. The B.C. government has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the advancement of ideas that will reshape our cities with healthier, more energyefficient and more climate-sensitive building solutions. The advancement of mass timber and tall wood buildings requires an evolution of our building codes around the world. The WIDC provides the essential demonstration project for advancing our codes, building our forestry and construction industry, and sustaining and creating jobs throughout the province. It has been a tremendous honour to be part of such an important project; lead by our province and serving our entire community. From forestry to forest products; from design to construction; and from research and testing to education, the WIDC celebrates B.C. as a province with vision.”

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A new skin is going onto the building at the southwest corner of 2nd Avenue and Victoria Street. The high-profile project has been in the public eye as demolition crews cordoned off parts of the busy intersection, and the decades-old place got its new look.

The property owners insist the month-long upgrade will be well worth it for the public aesthetic, and now was the right time.

“We’ve been thinking about this for a long time, but we wanted to do our part to make it look as good as new before the Canada Winter Games started,” said co-owner Peter Campbell Sr. His son Peter Campbell Jr. is a stakeholder in the renovation, as owner of the gym inside, the primary tenant of the complex. The other co-owner is Peter Wise.

The renovation project is also one of those getting a Downtown Prince George facade improve-

ment grant, another program that got a boost due to the Canada Winter Games.

“We made the investment to buy the building six years ago. The economic downturn was on, the market was down, but we knew in Prince George the values would come back up, so it was an opportunity to be downtown owners we couldn’t pass up,” said Campbell, who is also the owner of Hart U-Stor. “We think that location has a lot of potential as prime office space. It needed a facelift, so that’s what’s happening now. We stripped ‘er down and now we’re putting ‘er back together.”

The 32,000-square-foot building was originally built about 30 years ago, and was originally a furniture store owned by Ron Newsons. It has also been home, over the years, to a bank, a community college, a newspaper, the Prince George and District Teachers’ Association, law offices and more.

n w o t n w do s e s s e n busi lifts

e c a f g n i t t ge Citizen photos by Brent Braaten

Work on the front of the building on Victoria at 2nd Avenue.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

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26

national economy

drives through pG Northern industry is on the move, by air, rail and road.

Both the federal and provincial governments are in the process of creating new policy documents for handling the movement of people and products across our landscape, with some focus at both levels on the northern gateway to Asia – one of the fastest routes between the super-economies of China and the United States, especially.

On the provincial side, a new 10-year transportation plan is underway based on a month of direct input from key stakeholders and the general public. A feedback window was opened in late fall, and the results are now being sifted through

by Ministry of Transportation officials. The input will help them prioritize where work needs to be done to smooth out the travel routes for industry and commuters.

With the Premier’s BC Natural Resource Forum so fresh in local memories, host MLA Mike Morris of Prince George is certain the logistics of moving industrial goods and equipment will play a big role in the discussion. Northern needs need to be in boldface on that list, he said, because of the enormous economic profile in this region.

“We need the highways, airports, port facilities, bridges, to ensure these projects can go ahead,” he said. “How do we deal with increased capacity?

We have to know that the pieces of equipment and the volume of goods we’re talking about can actually be delivered to where it’s got to go.

“We’re going to see big shifts in large populations of people. That means shifts in infrastructure will be needed. There will be movement of largescale equipment as well. We want a clear line from northeastern B.C. to the west coast of B.C. and to the south coast of B.C. to accommodate the movement of people and equipment.”

According to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, this work is already well underway.

It has been long known that certain pieces of key heavy equipment could not be transported up Highway 97 through certain bottleneck spots between Prince George and Dawson Creek. This meant industrial firms working in the petroleum fields of Peace-country had to drive the equipment via Alberta instead and approach from the east instead of hauling those loads – and all the economic activity that rides with them – through British Columbia.

A concerted investment program was initiated to raise the headroom on bridges, widen corners and remove those sorts of barriers.

“Since 2001, the province has invested $880 million for improvements in the transportation

network in the northwest and more than $1.24 billion in the northeast, to keep goods moving throughout the north,” said ministry officials.

Recent projects that are part of this investment include the Braatten Road and Mapes Road passing lanes near Vanderhoof, the Upper Fraser passing lane on Highway 16 just east of Prince George, and the Highway 97 East Pine and West Pine Overpasses which have increased the clearances for oversized trucks.

Earlier this year, the government also upgraded the maintenance designation for some segments of northern highways to maximum levels, as another tool to keep industry and its people moving efficiently and safely.

In the past four years, the government of B.C. has invested $129 million in improvements and upgrades on Highway 16 alone.

The government doesn’t want to get ahead of itself, however, and rely on assumptions based on outdated information. The public - commuters, regional travellers, commercial drivers and industrial movers alike - know with certainty where the problem areas are, or what the benefits would be if something-or-other was done at such-and-such a place.

The document that will result soon from the public feedback exercise will be a 10-year transportation infrastructure plan called BC On the Move with special focus on connecting communities and building the economy. “[The strategy is] to develop the transportation infrastructure to support industrial and commercial traffic in the north,” said ministry officials.

“Based on technical input and consideration of public and stakeholder feedback, the plan will identify a series of short, medium and longer term initiatives to enhance the provincial transportation network within the next 10 years.”

The last time such a vision was designed was 2003. It was time for an update, to reflect the work already done and the modern economic and social realities.

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone said, “a safe, efficient, integrated, cost-effective transportation network is the backbone of our economy...our transportation network is important to all of us.”

The public input will be integrated with information gathered this past autumn by Parliamentary Secretary Jordan Sturdy.

BC On the Move is expected to be released to the public early in this new year.

At the same time, the federal government is also involved in similar research.

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INDUSTRY AND TRADES Story continued from page 26 A review of the Canada Transportation Act has not been conducted since 2001, so minister Lisa Raitt called together an advisory panel of experienced stakeholders, gave them the backing of a secretariat, and appointed as chair former Canfor CEO and federal cabinet minister David Emerson.

The federal process, too, called for public input. It was due by Dec. 30.

“This review comes at a critical time when we need, more than ever, a safe, efficient and clean transportation system to move goods and people, and help Canadian businesses seize new opportunities and continue to compete internationally,” said Raitt. “We need to create the right conditions for a system that has the capacity and flexibility to respond to global and domestic demands. Given Mr. Emerson’s extensive private sector and government experience, I am confident we will receive solid recommendations to help us plan for the future.”

“The objective of the Review is to provide an independent assessment of how federal policies and programs can ensure that the transportation system strengthens integration among regions while providing competitive international linkages,” said Emerson in a written statement. “It’s also timely to again consider the role of transportation as a developmental cata-

lyst, particularly for the massive, varied and remote geography that comprises northern Canada. If developmental projects are again to play a significant role, should the role of government focus on providing a framework to harness private capital, or should it be a form of more direct financial involvement? ... What are the emerging patterns and trends Canada must adapt to, and what approaches offer the greatest potential to support the prosperity of generations to come?”

One of the people with special expertise commenting directly into the conversation is Prince George Airport Authority CEO John Gibson.

“David Emerson’s review is looking at rail, roads, marine and air - the whole spectrum,” said Gibson.

“From an airport standpoint, we are trying to present the things to that review process to move our sector forward and move the Canadian economy forward. We recognize that this means more than just us in our silo. The health of the Port of Prince Rupert and the accessibility of the Pine Pass all play a role in how our airport functions. It isn’t just about one mode of travel. It is an integrated system: a road system, a rail system, a port system all working with our air systems.”

He also said the federal and provincial reviews were also part of a holistic system. Much of the overarching jurisdiction for rail, air and water travel was federal but the highways are largely provincial as is the work and flow of transactions done by those using all those systems together. Everyone is somehow affected.

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SUPREME COURT CASE

opened the

window

The path forward for industry has been improved by the Supreme Court of Canada’s William Case (otherwise known as the Tsilhqot’in Case) according to senior government officials for the province of B.C. This despite the backlash towards the provin-

cial Ministry of Environment issuing an extension on the permit held by mining company Taseko on the contentious New Prosperity gold/copper mine proposal in the Cariboo backcountry where the six Tsilhqot’in nations reside.

OLD OPPOSITION TO NEW PROSPERITY nations. This The project has been twice given the thumbs week, provincial Minister of down by the federal Environmental Assessment Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation John process but Taseko has stated in official terms Rustad was grinning and vibrating with all the that it still intends to comply with regulations in kinetic excitement he felt about the latest develorder for the project to proceed. opments between the provincial government Chief Joe Alphonse, tribal chairman of the and the aboriginal nations within B.C. At the Tsilhqot’in National Government and chief of top of his happiness was ongoing discussions the Tl’etinqox First Nation said in response to the with the Tsilhqot’in group of nations here in the permit extension, “No matter what, this project is Cariboo. dead. The Tsilhqot’in are the only First Nation in “The Tsilhqot’in told me just the other day ‘we Canada that have proven aboriginal title in the don’t want to have a treaty; we aren’t interested courts. The extension of this certificate should in that concept.’ The idea they proposed was a be illegal. Denying this extension would have peace accord between nations. Peace accord. shown respect in regards to our Title negotia- That term doesn’t scare me at all. We have to tions with the Province.” be agile about the thinking we could be doing This was echoed by chief Roger William, lead- together, the whole range of possible ways we er of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation, another of could come to agreements and bring our relathe Tsilhqot’in six. He said, “The path of least tionships closer together,” said Rustad. “Treaty, conflict has always been through reconciliation as a process, is still a set of helpful tools to set and aboriginal title. This has been confirmed up agreements but we should be looking at all through the declaration of title to the Tsilhqot’in. the steps we can take, like, for the Tsilhqot’in, a Industry, government and First Nations need to peace accord.” work together to ensure Like the Supreme that our lands are proCourt decision in the tected for future generaWilliam matter, which Industry, government tions. The New Prosperity set a precedent for the and First Nations need project has failed twice at nation that untreatied providing this assurance First Nations did in fact to work together to to all interest groups.” have uninterrupted title ensure that our lands The provincial govto lands they traditionalernment was careful to ly used, not just the forare protected for future explain that the extenmal boundaries around sion of the permit was their base of cultural generations. not a declaration of the operations, what Rustad project moving forward, suggests – a set of negoonly a legal condition that allowed for future tiation points, not a lone and overarching us-verdiscussions. sus-them approach – is aimed at bringing more “The fact that the project, as certified, will not and more certainty to a cloudy scene. proceed, and the fact that the certificate holder “Certainty: it’s an odd word,” he said. “Even [Taseko] has not been successful in obtaining if you have a treaty, it’s not a document that federal Environmental Assessment approval, provides all the answers. When a First Nation might suggest that the certificate should not signs a treaty agreement with the province and be extended. However, the circumstances the feds, it is a marriage not a divorce. None of respecting this matter in fact suggest other- those involved can ever stop talking and workwise,” said Minister of Environment Mary Polak. ing out the terms as time and technology come “The amendment application is before EAO into effect on the deal. My concern is spending [Environmental Assessment Office] and includes another generation without coming to terms consultation with First Nations. An extension of with our many, many First Nations, because I the existing certificate will allow the amendment look at all the time we’ve spent so far and how process to proceed and allow for a conclusion few treaties we have. The relationship goes way on whether or not the amendment should be beyond ‘title’ and all that word means. It is about granted – although I make no comment on when economic development, education opportunithe assessment of the amendment should take ties…” place. I understand that approval of the amendWhat the William case did most, said Rustad, ment is required for the project to proceed, in was open a window of opportunity. The case addition to the federal EA approvals and other had been on the books and building up to a government permits and approvals.” final edict for 20 years and although all Supreme Court decisions are open to interpretation, they SITTING DOWN AT A NEW TABLE exist to give clarity over an otherwise murky There are more projects than the New topic. This case set down some ground rules and Prosperity proposal on the table, and plenty instead of scaring industry and alienating other of positive positioning between the provin- levels of government, B.C. was excited to have cial government and the Tsilhqot’in group of the clarity.

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INDUSTRY AND TRADES Nations to suddenly arrest their own progress. It was caused by an arrogant and incorrect assumption of superiority made by European governing forces, said Rustad, Even Minister of Energy and Mines Bill but it was not the original attitude of incoming Bennett, someone accused in the past of being Europeans.

“When Europeans first started moving into a hardliner in favour of unfettered industry, said this was a fresh new day for the history of the what is now British Columbia, it was done in partnership with First Nations peoples,” said Rustad. province.

“I think we mistakenly - and I include myself “We need to get back to that spirit of partnerin this - had the thinking that this [conceding ship, instead of that view of ‘state’ and ‘rule’ aboriginal title rights over the vast majority of because that was not the reality on the ground the B.C. land-base] was a problem, a burden,” back then. The idea that we conquered First Bennett said. “We understand now, and First Nations was a widespread fantasy and you canNations showed us the way on this, that this is not operate on the basis of a fantasy. What the really a big opportunity. And it is good for every- William case did, and other cases too, was wake body - the province, the company wishing to do a lot of people up from that fantasy. Now we are back to looking at shared decision making on business, the community, the First Nation.”

Only this week, the province and three more the landscape, respecting cultural history and First Nations – Gitxaala, Kitselas, and Yekooche our place in it as well as their place in it, coming – added their names to the growing list of indig- to grips with who we are as well since there is a enous intra-countries that were sharing as pre- ‘we’ to consider as well as a ‘them’ to consider scribed governmental partners in the taxation and how First Nations and British Columbians are benefits of LNG projects. Such agreements do also one in the same in a lot of ways but there are not require the First Nation to give up some also definite cultural boundaries that must be other point of concession nor does it interfere acknowledged. Environmental stewardship, for with the First Nation’s ability to negotiate their example, is not just important for First Nations, individual agreements with the LNG proponent it is vital for everyone. The William Case didn’t companies for activities on each First Nation’s answer all the questions or put everything to rest, but it did open a big window of opportunipart of the land-base.

Rich Coleman, the minister responsible for ty. It changes the way business is done, it makes LNG, said these sorts of government-to-gov- business in B.C. more effective, and better for all the people of the provernment agreements plus ince. It makes us all conthe deals made individu“When Europeans first sider that we are sharing ally with LNG companies, the land-base, we have were part of the brighter started moving into to act with respect, these future B.C. and its First what is now British activities have to hapNations all share. pen in a sustainable way, “First Nations stand to Columbia, it was done and we have to allow all gain from the promise in partnership with First the parties to engage of LNG with the finalizaand share the benefits tion of many new benefit Nations peoples,” together.” agreements in 2015, simiThere are considersaid Rustad. lar to the one recently able variables. Rustad signed with the Nisga’a Nation that allows them to collect property tax pointed out that you can’t change where the on their land for industrial operations,” said gold or natural gas deposits or merchantable Coleman. “The agreement builds on an earlier timber are, so those sites are hot-spots in this agreement [with] Prince Rupert Gas Transmission new realm of shared decision making.

Also, there are more than 200 First Nations in Ltd., which will see the construction and operation of LNG pipeline infrastructure on their tradi- B.C., each with its own profile.

“I am pumped about 2015,” Rustad said. “I tional land.”

Rustad said he had a recent meeting with am excited about the possibilities, based on the Nisga’a elder and heralded chief Joe Gosnel who Tsilhqot’in decision, and the meeting we held led the Nisga’a Nation to one of those treaty between the entire cabinet and more than 400 agreements in British Columbia. Gosnel said that aboriginal leaders representing the 200-plus First First Nations had fallen far behind non-aboriginal Nations of the province all in the room together jurisdictions, economically, and it was impor- at the same time. That was a first. And those tant to actively engage in getting that past put meetings had meat, so we have action items to move on. There were a lot of plans already behind everyone.

That economic development gap was a rac- underway before the William decision was made ist imposition forced on aboriginal peoples by and we have a premier who recognized right years of colonialism, Rustad clarified, not some away the opportunity that court case presented coincidental inability for all of Canada’s First us with. So I think this is going to be one awesome year in B.C. history.”

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Minister John Rustad is excited about First Nations agreements expected in 2015, like the LNG partnership he signed recently with the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in the central interior.

In back (from left to right): Ruby Ogen, Margaret Sampson, Jesse William, Sophie Ogen. In front: Erwin Tom, Chief Karen Ogen, Minister John Rustad, Janice Nooski.

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January 2015

INDUSTRY AND TRADES

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creatively expressing

forestry

Each year the Association of BC Forest Professionals (ABCFP) and the Truck Loggers Association (TLA) call on the children of the province to express themselves creatively about forestry.

The two agencies jointly held an art contest for three age groupings between 4 years and 12 years old. Each age bracket had an overall winner who received a $50 gift certificate for a bookstore.

“Forestry plays a significant role in the communities these kids live in,” said Don Banasky, TLA

Drawing by Amélie Brulotte, 11, FrancoNord in Prince George.

president. “It’s great to see what the kids draw each year — always lots of camping and animals.

But I always love the ones that have a big machine in the picture!”

“Asking children to draw pictures of the forest is always interesting,” said Dan Graham, president of the ABCFP. “Kids from different cultures draw different animals and trees than what we’re used to seeing and sometimes the creatures are completely imaginary. I love seeing the pictures every year!”

Drawing by Zachary (last name withheld), 11, Franco-Nord in Prince George.

This year, some northern kids were among the top entries.

4- and 5-year-olds: Winner: Cedric Chewter, 5, Nelson Waldorf School in Nelson Honourable Mentions: Ila Paisley-Talson, 5, Meadow Montessori in Maple Ridge, and Olivia Shen, 5, Nelson Elementary in Burnaby

6- to 8-year-olds: Winner: Robin Bennett, 8, homeschooled in Simoom Sound / Port McNeill Honourable Mentions: Finn Luoma, 6, Miracle Beach Elementary in Black Creek, and Leif Richter, 7, Kidston in Coldstream

9- to 12-year-olds: Winner: Gabrielle Mergaert, 12, Ecole Phoenix Middle School in Campbell River Honourable Mentions: Amélie Brulotte, 11, Franco-Nord in Prince George, and Zachary (last name withheld), 11, Franco-Nord in Prince George

“Amélie drew a detailed picture of tree trunks showing the bark and a home for a small animal or bird. Zachary’s picture shows that every-

one can live together in the forest. His picture includes a cabin as well as a bird and an animal that have made homes in trees,” said ABCFP director of communications Amanda Brittain.

The art contest, now in its seventh year, is held during National Forest Week as a way to help children learn about and celebrate the forests.

“We love seeing the children’s pictures,” says Brenda Martin, director of communications for the TLA. “The kids have such a unique view of the forests.”

Brittain agreed, saying, “This year’s winners include children who saw the forest as places for their parents to work; somewhere for them to play; and as homes for wildlife.”

The Association of BC Forest Professionals, established in 1947, is the largest professional forestry association in Canada with over 5,400 members. The association registers and regulates professional foresters and forest technologists under authority of the provincial Foresters Act. The Truck Loggers Association represents more than 400 independent coastal forest contractors and their suppliers in British Columbia.

The TLA promotes a thriving, sustainable forest industry in B.C., and fosters communication and education within resource communities, urban centres and governments.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

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