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July update: 200 workers at CGL pipeline camp in Vanderhoof

District not providing information on total revenue being earned from renting land to TransCanada for CGL camp.
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Vanderhoof Lodge. (Photo submitted by Suzanne Wilton, CGL spokesperson)

Coastal GasLink has completed the first phase of its Vanderhoof Lodge work camp and there are currently close to 200 people housed on-site.

Amongst these workers is a cohort of trainees who are part of the Pathways to Prosperity Program, a six-day training-to-employment program being offered by SA Energy Group, CGL’s prime contractor working on the Vanderhoof section of the pipeline.

The first set of workers moved into the lodge at the end of June, said Coastal GasLink spokesperson Suzanne Wilton.

READ MORE: Coastal GasLink gives $100K to United Way efforts in Northern B.C.

The number of workers will grow from 200 to approximately 550 people who are expected to be housed at the camp by mid-July, Wilton said, adding the lodge is expected to be completed by mid-August, in time for the peak construction period and pipeline installation.

In terms of the Pathways to Prosperity Program, there are twelve trainees from local communities who are staying at the lodge in the second week of July. The intended motive for the program is to engage Indigenous youth and adults, and “help them acquire and develop skills for a meaningful and prosperous career in heavy industrial construction,” CGL’s spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the Express had reached out to the District to understand how much monthly revenue Vanderhoof is earning in terms of renting the parcel of land to TransCanada for the Coastal GasLink pipeline project, and where those funds will be used.

The Express also wanted to understand how much revenue, if any, the district is earning from supplying water and sewage services to the camp.

In an e-mail statement, dated July 8, CAO Lori Egli said, the District of Vanderhoof is in contract with TransCanada however the “Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act prohibits the District of Vanderhoof from releasing any details of this contract.”

The Express reached out to Fraser Lake to understand if the Village was providing wastewater services to the Vanderhoof camp and how much revenue they were earning from it.

In an e-mail statement dated July 9, CAO Rodney J Holland confirmed that Fraser Lake was receiving the wastewater from the Vanderhoof Lodge.

Holland explained that the agreement also includes Coastal GasLink’s Legacy Investment where the company is investing $300,000 into the Village’s screening facility.

Holland said the investment will improve “the integrity” of the Village’s wastewater treatment facility by removing plastic, metal and fibre before they enter the lagoons.

In terms of the revenue the Village is making from providing the wastewater service, Holland said, “it is based on a rate agreed upon between the Village and Summit Camps. The rate is based on our costs to manage the wastewater.”

Fraser Lake is not providing wastewater services to the Lejac camp. Holland said that camp already has existing infrastructure on-site.

“That was installed when Endako Mine did their mine renovation in 2009. They will manage their own wastewater,” Holland said.

Vanderhoof has been the recipient of CGL’s Legacy Investment as well, where the company has invested in the aquatic centre, Sunday family skate, Nechako Valley Search and Rescue Society and the Nechako Environment and Water Stewardship Society.


Aman Parhar
Editor, Vanderhoof Omineca Express

aman.parhar@ominecaexpress.com

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Trainees part of the Pathways to Prosperity Program at the Vanderhoof Lodge. (Photo submitted by Suzanne Wilton, CGL spokesperson)