TransCanada representatives, Dave Kmet and Kiel Giddens, made a presentation to the Burns Lake council on Jan. 27, 2015, about the proposed Coastal Gaslink Pipeline project.
The presentation provided council with an update on the proposed project, as well as TransCanada's latest efforts to develop partnerships with municipalities and First Nations.
Kmet said that since the start of the Coastal Gaslink Pipeline project, TransCanada has been committed to holding at least eight public information sessions per year for each community.
"During these information sessions, we heard that communities would like to see more training opportunities and employment, so we have been developing partnerships with colleges and Aboriginal organizations."
Kmet said TransCanada is now close to signing an agreement with the College of New Caledonia. The deal would support students through trades bursaries, provide equipment upgrades and increase the variety of programs offered at regional campuses.
Annette Stevens, communications manager for the College of New Caledonia, confirmed that the college is close to signing a deal with TransCanada. Stevens anticipates the deal will be signed within the next couple of weeks. She said the college will provide further details about the agreement once the deal is signed.
Kmet said TransCanada has also been trying to help students in other ways. Three schools in Northern B.C. have been taking advantage of a daily healthy meal thanks to a partnership between TransCanada and the Breakfast Club of Canada.
The representatives also emphasized that TransCanada is ensuring their contractors will hire locally.
"We are requiring each of our contractors to provide us with local participation plans, and we will make sure that it will be implemented."
Coastal GasLink Pipeline Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of TransCanada PipeLines Limited, is proposing to develop a natural gas pipeline from northeast B.C., near Dawson Creek, to the west coast of B.C., near Kitimat. The 650-km pipeline would pass through south of Burns Lake.
The project was first announced in June 2012; initial public engagement with municipalities and First Nations took place in the fall of 2012; in January 2014, TransCanada applied for an Environment Assessment (EA) certificate; the EA certificate was issued in October 2014 with 32 conditions.
"Getting our EA certificate was a huge milestone for the project," said Kmet.
Since the Coastal Gaslink Pipeline is still a proposed project, TransCanada still needs to take a few steps to make sure this project becomes a reality.
One of the required steps involves a permit from the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission. TransCanada expects that decision to be made in the spring of 2015. Another step will be the final investment decision from LNG Canada. This decision is expected to be made by January 2016.
"In the meantime, we will continue the development of all the plans required under the EA certificate," said Kmet. "The Coastal Gaslink Pipeline project remains on track with its planning and regulatory schedule."
TransCanada plans to host a public information session about the proposed pipeline project in Burns Lake in April 2015.