Persistence is one of the most powerful forces in business. Take, for example, the community of Kitimat, British Columbia, where the country’s third-largest West Coast port resides. According to District of Kitimat Economic Development Officer Rose Klukas, the port and the town were in a bad situation a few years ago when the city’s pulp and paper mill closed down. With more than 500 people out of work in a community of less than 10,000, the local economy was feeling the negative impact. “In 2010, you would have come into the community and it would have seemed fairly dire,” Klukas says.

Just as quickly as the situation took a turn for the worse, however, things are looking up in a big way for the Port of Kitimat and its community. Klukas says a number of big projects are breathing new life into the privately owned port, and none of that would be possible without the significant advantages Port of Kitimat offers investors.

“The economy here in Kitimat has taken a dramatic shift,” Klukas says. “The tune in the community changed quickly to the positive.”

New Developments

Much of this growth is due to the fact that as a privately owned port, Port of Kitimat gives companies the opportunity to purchase property and build their own terminals suited to their needs rather than leasing existing facilities. Klukas also adds that the Douglas Channel is deep, wide and ice-free, making it easier for ships to move in and out. Kitimat is a day closer to China than is Vancouver via ship.

For an example of the development coming to the port, Kitimat LNG is a liquid natural gas facility that will be owned and operated by Apache Canada Ltd. in association with Chevron Canada Ltd. The facility originally was planned for use in importing liquid natural gas, but was readapted into an export facility after advanced gathering technology led to a glut of natural gas in the area. Nearly 2,500 workers are expected to come to Kitimat to bring this project to life, Klukas says.

Along with the Kitimat LNG project, Rio Tinto Alcan, operators of an aluminum smelter built in the early 1950, are building a new aluminum smelter to replace the old one. The value of this project exceeds $3 billion. The project will bring more than 1,500 workers to live in a camp within the community.

“As a result of all these projects, we are seeing an increase in the spin-off industries,” she says. “So, we’re seeing engineering companies moving into the community, we’re seeing electrical companies coming to the community and we’re seeing Tim Horton’s coming into the community.”

Welcome Home

Klukas says the town estimates that more than 12,000 workers will be needed in the region by 2020. This has created a shift in Klukas’ responsibilities, as now she no longer has to focus as much on attracting economic development as she does on attracting people to the city. Fortunately, she says, there is a lot about Kitimat to recommend it. She says the town’s strong tax base has already resulted in numerous attractive amenities, including parks. Reasonable housing costs should provide incentive for young families to move to Kitimat, Klukas says, and the community is promoting the development of trades training programs locally, including trades training starting at the high school level.

“Our marketing has shifted from attracting investors to attracting people to live here because we are going to need a lot of labor here,” Klukas explains. “It’s just a beautiful area of the world to live.”