I sometimes catch myself staring out over the waters of British Columbia\u2019s coastline \u2014 so calm, so vast, so brimming with unspoken opportunity \u2014 and I can\u2019t help but wonder how anyone could fail to notice the promise that Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) represents for our nation\u2019s future. This country sits atop some of the largest gas reserves on Earth, and we have two coasts eager to connect our product to global markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m a quietly enthusiastic type by nature, and I don\u2019t often indulge in the \u201cI-told-you-so\u201d routine, but whenever I encounter someone who just hasn\u2019t cottoned on to the excitement around LNG, I feel compelled to stage a gentle intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my day-to-day role as CEO of Resource Works, I work with communities from Fort St. John to Kitimat, and beyond. Let me assure you, if you want to see Canadians at work, proud of their craft, and eyeing a brighter future, you\u2019ll find them along the pipeline routes and port terminals that are part of our budding LNG industry. And they\u2019re just as commonly found in Vancouver, Victoria and the other cities, just harder to spot with no blue coveralls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve been following the natural gas story in British Columbia for more than a quarter of a century, going back to my days in the media field. As an editor at The Vancouver Sun, I created the paper\u2019s first-ever energy beat after we noticed something big was stirring in the North East gas fields. It turned out to be an industry animated by regulatory innovation, rich geology, ambitious investors, and some of the most capable people you\u2019ll ever meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When talk of LNG exports began to stir in 2011, I dove in with both feet. Over the past 15 years, I\u2019ve followed the LNG file across Canada, around the world, and deep into the heart of British Columbia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along the way, I\u2019ve met First Nations chiefs who proudly showed me the schools and businesses they built through new partnerships. I\u2019ve also sat down with those who remain skeptical and had honest, sometimes searching conversations. I\u2019ve learned something from all of them. This is an industry that, at its best, brings people together to solve problems, create opportunity, and build a future worth caring about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why am I still so enthused after all these years? LNG is not a flash in the pan, for starters. Through cyclical ups and downs\u2014natural phenomena in any commodity game\u2014international forecasts consistently show that LNG demand won\u2019t be evaporating tomorrow or, quite likely, for several tomorrows yet. The International Energy Agency, the Canada Energy Regulator, and even the U.S. Energy Information Administration all point to steady growth in global LNG trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On top of that, if you follow the money, you\u2019ll see billions of dollars flowing into new regasification terminals and record orders for LNG carriers. I may be old-fashioned, but I\u2019ve always found that when so many investors plunk down their capital in one place, it\u2019s seldom a fluke. The world has more than 700 LNG ships plying the seas these days, and hundreds more under construction. That\u2019s not a small bit of confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And let\u2019s talk local: from where I sit, Canada\u2019s jobs outlook tied to LNG looks like a real tonic for communities seeking new opportunities. Construction alone can employ entire regions. Then come the careers that last decades\u2014plant operators, engineers, port and shipping managers, the works. It\u2019s the sort of diversified prosperity that a resource economy yearns for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve even seen First Nations communities take equity stakes in major LNG projects, forging new partnerships that benefit everyone involved. That\u2019s the model of inclusive economic development that Canadians like to talk about. It\u2019s called walking the walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those voices of skepticism \u2014 bless their hearts \u2014 sometimes say, \u201cBut what about price volatility? The commodity cycles? Are we sure this is sustainable?\u201d Truthfully, no commodity is immune to upswings and downswings. But open a newspaper \u2014 digitally or in paper form, your choice\u2014 and you\u2019ll find that countries all over the world are expanding their LNG-import infrastructure. Many of them, especially in Asia and Europe, see Canada as a steady, well-regulated, and (importantly) speedy supplier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, \u201cspeedy\u201d might be an odd descriptor for us easygoing Canadians, but let\u2019s not overlook that a West Coast port is only about eight or nine sailing days from major Asian markets, versus more than 20 from the U.S. Gulf Coast. You\u2019d think we\u2019d have lines of ships lined up right now, just for that advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s another subtlety that some folks overlook. Right now, much of our gas still flows to the United States, often at discounted prices, only to be converted into LNG down there and sold globally at a premium. If that doesn\u2019t make you shake your head in wonder, I\u2019m not sure what will. Canadians have every reason to want to keep some of that up-chain value right here at home, funneling more of that revenue into local jobs and public coffers. That\u2019s exactly the sort of well-to-customer supply chain we\u2019re poised to build.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And if you\u2019re still not impressed, consider the big jolt to GDP whenever a massive energy project crosses the finish line. Look no further than the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion: once it was substantially complete last year, the national GDP got a measurable jolt. It\u2019s extremely rare that a single anything shows up that way. Now, with the first shipment of Canadian LNG preparing to leave Kitimat in the coming weeks, we can expect a repeat performance. It\u2019s the real economic equivalent of an encore, if you will. And who doesn\u2019t love an encore that boosts paycheques and government revenues?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Canadians may be known worldwide for politeness and hockey, but let\u2019s not forget that boldness is also in our national DNA. Building a robust LNG sector that ties Western and Eastern Canada to major global markets is about as bold an economic strategy as we could pursue right now. Some might call it visionary, others might say it\u2019s just common sense in a world that still demands substantial amounts of energy. Either way, Canada has a rare window to join the big leagues of LNG exporters\u2014Qatar, Australia, and the United States are not waiting around, and neither should we.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the end of the day, seeing Canadians capture more of the value from our natural resources rather than shipping it across the border at a discount is, for me, both pragmatic and patriotic. It\u2019s the kind of deal that makes you wonder why anyone would hesitate. Perhaps that hesitation is just a bump in the road of public discourse\u2014something we can gently, politely, and persistently overcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I, for one, am excited for the first shipment of LNG out of Canada\u2019s West Coast, due any week now. A top executive with the project once whispered to me that the maiden cargo would be worth $100 million, but lately I\u2019m hearing a single shipload is now probably worth double that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So yes, I\u2019m looking forward to the day when it\u2019s not just a handful of tankers leaving our ports, but a regular fleet serving global customers. It will lift up the whole country, just as it has contributed to America\u2019s tearaway economy in recent years and elevated Qatar from desert outpost to World Cup host nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soon, maybe all the doubters will have recognized the obvious \u2014 and joined the rest of us on the bandwagon with front-row seats to Canada\u2019s LNG future. Sure, I\u2019m biased, but only because the facts keep reinforcing that this sector is poised to do a world of good for Canadians from coast to coast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Canada has a rare window to join the big leagues of LNG exporters\u2014Qatar, Australia, and the United States are not waiting around, and neither should we.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":97198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,2],"tags":[18,32,25,52],"class_list":["post-97197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-manufacturing","category-oil-gas","tag-economy","tag-energy","tag-lng","tag-pipelines"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n