Premier John Horgan and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were in Vancouver Tuesday morning to speak about the just-announced $40 billion LNG export facility up in Kitimat.
“Today’s announcement represents the single largest private sector investment in the history of Canada,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau told the audience that the facility would “open up overseas markets” for Canada.
He acknowledged that the country couldn’t “build energy projects like we could in the old days, when the environment and the economy were seen as opposing forces.”
Horgan noted the announcement “speaks to the power of a joint venture” with five companies involved.
The venture by LNG Canada includes Shell, PETRONAS, PetroChina, Mitsubishi Corporation and KOGAS.
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Horgan said that there was not yet a timeline or deadline for the project.
LNG Canada CEO Andy Calitz said that construction work had already began in Kitimat and authorized to begin on the Coastal Gas Link pipeline.
At its height, Trudeau said, the facility’s construction would create 10,000 jobs.
Canada is offering up $275 million in federal funding, as well as a commitment that “trade barriers will not get in the way of this generational project.”
“We expect there to be vigorous debate,” Horgan says when asked about Weaver. “This is about the people of British Columbia.... I’m fairly confident that partisan politics will not get in the way of the single largest private sector investment in Canada.” pic.twitter.com/vB7weFmuxR
— Laura Baziuk (@LauraBaziuk) October 2, 2018
When asked about specifics on a timeline or deadline, Horgan didn’t have much to add. LNG Canada CEO Andy Calitz said that preliminary work had already begun in Kitimat and that work on the Coastal Gas Link pipeline had been authorized.
Horgan thanked the past Liberal government for their role in the project.
Former premier Christy Clark took to Facebook to laud the announcement.
Clark thanked her former colleagues Rich Coleman and Ellis Ross, as well as the NDP.
“Way back in 2011, we began this work to bring LNG - a brand new industry - to B.C.,” Clark said.
“It was always a matter of ‘when’, not ‘if’, and I’m happy to see this historic investment is happening. I want to thank all my colleagues, especially Rich Coleman and [Skeena MLA] Ellis Ross for all they did, BC’s terrific civil servants who stuck with it and, the NDP government. They could have stood in the way - and they didn’t. This is an achievement for our whole country - and we did it together. This is the single best day of my professional life.”
BC Greens Leader Andrew Weaver said he was “deeply disappointed” in the investment decision.
“Our caucus has been clear that we do not support the government’s LNG regime,” said Weaver.
“The government does not have our votes to implement this regime and will have to work with the B.C. Liberal MLAs if they want this project to go forward.”
More to come.
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