Jason Unrau
Northern News Services
Wednesday, March 05, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - There will be plenty of work to go around for those wanting a job on the proposed Mackenzie Gas Project, according to Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister Brendan Bell.

While the issue of filling qualified-labour positions is not news to industry operating in the Northwest Territories, Great Slave MLA Bill Braden believes the recent socio-economic pact inked between the government and MGP proponents does not protect the interests of non-aboriginal NWT residents.

The three previous socio-economic agreements with diamond-mining operations prioritize hiring regimes, giving preference to aboriginal, then "NWT residents" before opening it up to labour from outside the territories. The MGP socio-economic agreement does not differ in this regard apart from what defines an "NWT resident." In pacts with diamond mines, six months of residence here qualified, something missing from the pipeline agreement.

"He knows that 3,000 jobs will be made available for Northerners. I think he probably also knows that fewer than 2,000 people in the Northwest Territories are currently unemployed," said Bell in response to Great Slave MLA Bill Braden's challenge. "This project is so massive, anybody in the Northwest Territories who is prepared to build the capacity and take the training required is going to get work on this project."

At pipeline hearings, lead pipeline proponent Imperial Oil has reported that "about 1,500 NWT workers are expected to fill project-related direct, indirect and induced jobs in the NWT each year (of construction)."

To build 1,200-kilometre of buried pipe, gathering system and three anchor fields, the construction phase is expected to last four years and cost more than $10 billion.

"We do expect that given the excitement you're likely to see people relocate here for the jobs and that's OK," Bell told News/North. "It's unnecessary to provide preference for people who have been here for seven months as it is for people who have been here for two months."

That said, MLAs like Twin Lakes representative Robert McLeod has used his time in the legislature to remind all residents, in particular the youth, that opportunities associated with the pipeline will not be around forever.

"With the building of the pipeline will come many opportunities for Northern businesses and residents," said McLeod. "(The youth) have the opportunity to take advantage of the countless number of training opportunities that will be made available... we need our young people to take advantage when they can as we want to see the pipeline built by our own residents and not have workers flooding in from the South."