LNG Canada Connect program expands to Smithers to find workers

SMITHERS, B.C. – The liquified natural gas (LNG) industry is looking for more workers for its Kitimat facility.

LNG Canada and TransCanada’s Coastal GasLink have partnered to implement the LNG Canada Connect program in Smithers, B.C., with the British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) fulfilling a management role.

The LNG Canada Connect program, previously introduced in Kitimat and Terrace in 2015, is an effort to bring local workers onto the partnership’s LNG export terminal project in Kitimat. The program began with funding from LNG Canada and operated as an extension to the BCCA’s Skilled Trades Employment Program (STEP). LNG Canada is a joint venture between Shell, PetroChina, Korea Gas Corporation and Mitsubishi.

Bruce Hobson will run operations for the connect program in Smithers.

“I look forward to helping local job seekers become job-ready and get them connected to employers who are hiring. The connect program works well because we treat every candidate as an individual, we know the employers, and we take care to make the right connections for the right opportunities at the right time,” Hobson said in a statement.

The Coastal GasLink pipeline project will run approximately 670 kilometres in length transporting natural gas from the Dawson Creek area of northern B.C. to the Kitimat facility. LNG Canada recently announced U.S. based Fluor Corporation and Japanese firm JGC Corporation will be the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project.

“We’re very pleased to be embarking on this targeted, high-value workforce development program with LNG Canada and the BC Construction Association,” added TransCanada director of project planning and execution Gregory Cano.

“We’re looking to assist people in the area who wish to gain the transferable skills and work experience they need to thrive in this economy, and ensure they get visibility to the local opportunities that surround them.”

The Kitimat project is expected to create between 2,000 and 2,500 construction jobs in northern BC.