The planned truck rally has spread to three separate events \u2013 just another indicator of the incredible momentum for \u201cyes\u201d that\u2019s growing across the province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Residents across the region, including workers, small business owners, and members of First Nations, have a message to send about what\u2019s at stake if the project is not approved. The rest of BC and Canada needs to listen carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. is currently the biggest customer of B.C. natural gas, allowing the local energy sector to employ workers, drive local business, and pay into local communities through taxes. But with the U.S.\u2019s increasing self-sufficiency, that\u2019s coming to an end, and soon. Without the means to export to other markets \u2013 ones who need a clean-burning fuel like LNG \u2013 everyone who lives in the northwest region risks massive uncertainty. Energy workers have already been losing jobs as U.S. exports scale back, and when access to growing global demand isn\u2019t possible for energy producers, every other sector takes a hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lucy Praught, a community consultant, says, \u201cIt\u2019s important for people to understand we are ready to work. It\u2019s been tough in northwestern B.C. for a while. We are ready to dust each other off and make it happen.\u201d Turning those worries into opportunities is just what approval for Pacific Northwest LNG will do. It would create up to 4,500 jobs during construction, 330 long-term operational positions and roughly 300 local spin-off jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many participants want to keep families together and local communities, like Fort Nelson, strong. Life-long resident Kristi Leer, a single mom to two, and an organiser for the event, understands the value of the PNW project well. \u201cI am scared Fort Nelson is going to disappear. I really enjoy this town. I was born and raised here. I want to keep that for my kids,\u201d says Leer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the local economy is important, supporters are keenly aware jobs also depend on responsible stewardship of the environment. Chief Councillor Joe Bevan of the Kitselas First Nation is speaking at the rally in Terrace. He\u2019s made it clear that his community supports LNG only \u201cas long as proponents maintain strong environmental standards.\u201d \u201cOur position on LNG is based on due diligence – not just our own but the work done by other First Nations in the Northwest, the large majority of whom share our position.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As attendees at tomorrow\u2019s three events come out and bring with them hope for their communities, British Columbians receive a chance to see what projects like Pacific NorthWest can represent and why approving them can mean opportunity and tremendous benefit for the people that need them. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The voice for LNG in B.C. is getting louder and British Columbians who care about their communities are making it all happen. Tomorrow in Terrace, Fort St. John, and Fort Nelson, hundreds of grassroots activists will be rallying to show their support for the Pacific NorthWest LNG project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":86286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oil-gas"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n