Phase 2 represents one of the largest private-sector investments in Canada and will double the facility’s production capacity from 14 million to 28 million tonnes of LNG annually. At peak construction, LNG Canada estimates the expansion will create up to 4,000 construction jobs in Kitimat, along with about 2,100 jobs associated with building five new compressor stations along the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

The investment is significant. But for BCCA, the announcement’s importance goes well beyond the numbers.

“This decision is important not simply because of the size of the investment, but because of what it represents,” says Chris Atchison, President of the BC Construction Association. “It demonstrates confidence in British Columbia, confidence in our construction industry, and confidence in our ability to deliver major projects through productive partnerships.”

“Thousands of construction jobs will be created, but the longer-term opportunity is even greater: developing skilled people, strengthening contractors and supply chains, expanding Indigenous economic participation, and building the capacity B.C. needs for the next generation of infrastructure and investment.”

An opportunity for contractors across British Columbia

While construction activity will be concentrated in Northwest B.C., the opportunity extends well beyond Kitimat.

Projects of this scale draw on the capabilities of contractors, subcontractors, skilled tradespeople, suppliers, manufacturers, engineering and professional services firms, transportation providers, and other businesses throughout the province.

Phase 1 demonstrated the breadth of that opportunity. More than 50,000 Canadians contributed to its delivery, while construction of the connecting Coastal GasLink pipeline employed more than 25,000 people.

Phase 2 will create another significant period of construction activity and an opportunity for B.C. contractors to demonstrate the experience, expertise, innovation, and capacity within our industry.

It also reinforces the importance of fair, transparent, and accessible procurement practices that give qualified contractors of all sizes the opportunity to participate in major projects.

Building people as well as projects

BCCA’s relationship with LNG Canada goes back more than a decade and has always recognized that successful projects depend on strong communities and a skilled local workforce.

Since 2016, LNG Canada has invested more than $3.3 million in workforce development initiatives delivered in partnership with BCCA, including the LNG Canada Trades Training Fund and CONNECT program.

Through that work, BCCA has seen firsthand LNG Canada’s commitment to workforce development, local participation, and creating opportunities for Indigenous people and other workers in Northwest B.C.

That experience reinforces an important lesson from Phase 1: major projects don’t simply require construction capacity. They can help build it.

Phase 2 gives industry, government, owners, educators, labour, Indigenous partners, and communities another opportunity to invest in apprenticeships, training, leadership development, and the future workforce our province will need long after this project is complete.

The project also creates a significant opportunity for Indigenous economic participation. Five First Nations neighbouring LNG Canada, Gitga’at Nation, Gitxaała Nation, Haisla Nation, Kitselas First Nation and Kitsumkalum First Nation, have an option to invest up to $1 billion in an entity that will purchase the future LNG storage tank being constructed as part of Phase 2.

Confidence in our ability to build

Perhaps the broader significance of this announcement is what it says about our collective ability to get major projects built.

British Columbia faces substantial infrastructure needs in the years ahead, from housing and transportation to hospitals, schools, energy infrastructure, trade corridors, and the projects required to support a growing and resilient economy.

Meeting those needs will require investment. It will also require skilled people, capable contractors, predictable project pipelines, strong procurement practices, and productive partnerships between industry, government, Indigenous Nations, owners, labour, and communities.

LNG Canada Phase 2 provides a tangible example of what can happen when those pieces come together.

For B.C.’s construction industry, this is both an opportunity and a responsibility. We need to continue building the people, businesses, and industry capacity necessary to deliver this project while meeting the many other construction needs facing communities throughout the province.

BCCA congratulates LNG Canada, its joint venture participants, Indigenous partners, governments, contractors, tradespeople, and communities that have contributed to reaching this milestone.

British Columbia has extraordinary construction capability. Phase 2 is another opportunity to put that capability to work, building not only a major project in Kitimat, but greater capacity, opportunity, and confidence in B.C.’s future.