February 6, 2012

Transmission line will generate shortages

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

The construction of a new transmission line in Northwest British Columbia is expected to provide a significant boost to economic development in the region, but it will also generate a serious shortage of skilled labour.

“BC Hydro’s Northwest Transmission Line will spark substantial economic development by providing a reliable source of clean power to industrial developments in the area and by providing a secure interconnection point for clean generation projects,” said Greg Reimer, executive vice president of Transmission & Distribution with BC Hydro.

Construction of the $404 million Northwest Transmission Line (NTL) has started, which includes a new 287-kilovolt transmission line and a 344-kilometres extension from the existing Skeena substation south of Terrace to Meziadin Junction and north to a new substation near Bob Quinn Lake.

It is expected to lead to other investment and economic development in mines, power projects and other resource projects.

The local Labour Market Partnerships steering committee commissioned a study on the supply and demand of labour, to gain a better understanding of the impact these anticipated construction projects will have on the labour market in Northwest B.C.

“The immediate need for workers comes from the current and planned construction of approved major projects in Northwest B.C., including the NTL, Forrest Kerr power project and Red Chris mine,” said the study.

“Strong labour demand is also coming from other current or near-term projects listed in the Major Projects List, including the Rio Tinto Alcan Modernization project, and Kitimat LNG and pipeline project. Demand for construction workers is expected to increase, as other major projects are approved and final investment decisions are made.”

The NTL is expected to create up to about 280 direct jobs per year during construction.

The transmission line is scheduled for completion by spring 2014.

Collectively, capital projects in the region are expected to account for more than $7.5 billion in construction alone by 2014.

In total, projects in Northwest B.C. could create about 5,700 jobs between 2011 and 2021.

The demand for labour will begin to outpace local supply starting this year and this shortage of labour is expected to last for a number of years.

When indirect job creation and workforce retirements are taken into account, the gap between regional labour supply and demand deepens even further.

Trades, transportation, and equipment operations and related occupations account for about 63 per cent of expected jobs.

Local people are available to fill many of the jobs, but a mismatch often exists between the skills of potential workers and the needs of employers.

Training for many of these high-demand occupations is only available outside of the Northwest.

Competition for skilled workers will be fierce, with Northeastern B.C., Northern Alberta, the Yukon, Northern Saskatchewan and Northern Manitoba also expecting to see significant growth in the natural resource industries.

In response to this problem, the steering committee studied the gap between the existing labour force and the anticipated labour force requirements over the next 10 years.

It developed a human resources strategy to ensure Northwest B.C. is ready to take advantage of the employment opportunities that will become available.

“Our goal is for workers from the Northwest, including First Nations people, to be the cornerstone of a sustainable labour force, able to fill industry needs wherever possible,” said Rick Brouwer, who is a representative with the Labour Market Partnership Steering Committee.

“By working together regionally, we will maximize the economic benefits from the Northwest Transmission Line and other major resource projects.”

The human resources strategy includes the following recommendations:

Develop a regional website/information portal for jobs, workforce and business information;

Develop a workforce opportunity promotion campaign targeting local people;

Fund a community human resources co-ordinator;

Develop and implement a recruitment package that targets trained locals working elsewhere and workers across Canada;

Develop formal partnerships between major project owners, contractors and local groups;

Develop an education, training and development plan to ensure local people are workforce-ready;

Improve access to regional training, certifications and apprenticeship programs for high-demand occupations.

The strategy was produced by a steering committee made up of representatives from education, training, industry, community, government and First Nations.

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