Reading Time: 1 Minute
KITIMAT – Change is something that stops or ends and is external, concrete and tangible while transition is an internal psychological and emotional process in response to the change. Kitimat is undergoing many changes these days.
Horizon North announced in mid-December 2015 it is anticipating its property’s hotel, operated by Pomeroy Lodging will be in place and open in approximately five months and the first phase of their camp of 240 units.
The modular 89-room hotel will be built in the manufacturing plant and shipped to Kitimat for assembly. Additional future commercial development on the property located between the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Centre and Kitamaat Village Road could include commercial, office and food services.
Rio Tinto in late December was granted an environmental assessment certificate for the proposed Terminal A extension project. Recent announcements in the US of additional smelters being closed or running at reduced capacity across the United States reiterates the significance of the investments that have been made in Kitimat’s modernized smelter.
LNG Canada celebrated the start of specific site preparation activities in early December, work that will take place prior to Final Investment Decision. This was followed by the BC Oil and Gas Commission announcing on January 5th, that LNG Canada has been issued an LNG Facility Permit for their project. Two days later, the National Energy Board of Canada granted the first ever 40-year export license to LNG Canada.
As major projects move closer to Final Investment Decision, the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce has a role in leading that change by building awareness and listening to concerns and questions. In managing the transition to increased economic activity we can understand the concerns of our members and community and support actions required to meet the demands of the inevitable transition.
– Trish Parsons is Executive Director of the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at 250-632-6294 or tparsons@kitimatchamber.ca.
