Fort Simpson (Apr 21/06) - Business opportunities, building details and transportation logistics were called into question during an open forum in Fort Simpson on the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline project.

Bob Norwegian, the regional liaison for the Mackenzie Gas Project, uses metal hoops to illustrate the difference in size between the current 12-inch Enbridge pipeline and the proposed 30-inch Mackenzie Valley pipeline during an information session in Fort Simpson. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

On April 12, approximately 30 people attended the session hosted by the village council and Imperial Oil. Ross Papirnick, a communications and consultation advisor for the Mackenzie Gas Project, presented the latest information about the 538km of pipeline slated for the Deh Cho region.

Under current plans, the region would become home to infrastructure including seven barge landings, nine temporary camps ranging from 60 to 950 people, nine storage sites for material, borrow sites for 700,000 cubic meters of gravel, and a number of access roads.

In addition to the pipeline, there will also be one compressor station at River Between Two Mountains outside of Wrigley and the Trout River heater station.

Transportation was a concern on a number of people's minds, as community members asked about increased truck traffic on the highways.

The Mackenzie River will be used as the main transportation corridor, said Papirnick. Trucks will not cross the Liard River, but will instead use a temporary barge landing. The main traffic increase will happen during the second and third year of the four-year building project, he said.

With the camps, the project is taking direction from the communities on how much interaction they want with the workers, said Papirnick.

Business opportunities were also a topic of interest.

Mayor Duncan Canvin asked about work being set aside for businesses that are not aboriginally owned or operated.

The answer will be more clear once the benefits agreement is reached, said Kevin Heron, benefits advisor for the Deh Cho. One possibility is a clearing house where businesses can register so people who need a service can be directed to them, Heron said.

Mark Wilson asked how businesses without contracts, such as restaurants and hotels, will be effected.

During construction there will be many spin-offs, answered Papirnick.

Pipeline construction will bring more work than current business capacity in the area can handle, he said. The Deh Cho needs access and benefits agreements so businesses can start to prepare.

"It is really critical the Deh Cho start to move on this because it's a huge opportunity," said Papirnick.

The winter of 2007-2008 is the earliest work could begin on the project, Papirnick said.