Economic FAQs

I hear most of the construction jobs will go to Alberta. How many jobs will be in Alberta compared to BC?

Northern Gateway is committed to hiring as many local people to construct the project along the pipeline right-of-way to the greatest degree possible.

Overall, Northern Gateway expects to create 62,700 person years of construction employment throughout Canada over the three-year construction period of which 24% will occur in Alberta and 57% will occur in BC.

BC – 35,444 person-years of employment over the period from 2009 to 2017
AB – 15,150 person-years of employment over the period from 2009 to 2016

Will Enbridge commit to training and employing BC workers for the construction of the pipeline through BC?

Northern Gateway is committed to giving British Columbians and Albertans skills training opportunities related to the project. For local and Aboriginal communities, our approach includes:

Educating communities about pipeline projects
Providing communities clear labour market information that relates to the project
Building partnerships to strengthen skills and education training
Understanding the community’s needs and how they may contribute to and benefit from the project
Working with the community as an ally to support their vision of education, employment and business opportunities
Building training plans with communities based on opportunities before, during and after construction
Supporting the development of as many community resource people as possible
Supporting programs that promote transferable and essential skills

Why should British Columbians support a project that brings far more risk than benefit?

The construction and operation of Northern Gateway will deliver sustainable economic and social benefits to local communities in Alberta and British Columbia. Should the project receive regulatory approval, it will create a lasting legacy of local investment, tax revenue and jobs for the North.

Safeguarding the quality-of-life enjoyed by communities along the project route is always front-of-mind, and we understand that the best way to do this is to protect the environment. As such, the long-term success of our project depends on our ability to construct and operate the project in an environmentally responsible way.

We are confident that the benefits to Canada, BC and Alberta outweigh any project risk.

Are you concerned there aren’t enough job opportunities for local residents during both construction and operations?

Besides jobs, what other benefits will you offer affected communities?

Northern Gateway is committed to providing meaningful benefits to communities along the right-of-way beyond the thousands of construction jobs required to build the pipelines. Should the project receive regulatory approval, it will create a lasting legacy of local investment, tax revenue and jobs for the North over and above the benefits created by access to new and growing markets for Canadian natural resources:

$1.2 billion in tax revenue for the BC government over 30 years
$0.5 billion in tax revenue for the Alberta government over 30 years

These figures contribute to a total of $2.6 billion in total tax revenue for local, provincial and federal governments over 30 years, which can be directed towards education, health, infrastructure and other community needs.

We also plan to provide an opportunity for Aboriginal groups to own an equity share in the project, which would provide lasting benefits to their members. The long-term financial benefits for participating Aboriginal shareholders will be significant. Aggregate equity ownership is expected to generate approximately $280 million in net income to neighbouring Aboriginal communities over the first 30 years.

A Community Trust will be established for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities with a commitment of 1% pre-tax domestic profit to support the trust, measured on a five year rolling average basis. The value of this trust is estimated to exceed $100 million over the 30-year economic life of the Project.

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Northern Gateway, May 15th, 2013 (5 days ago)

Hi Agatha, thanks for your comment and question.
Enbridge isn't in the business of refining oil, we connect supply with demand. If shippers choose to ship refined products, pipelines will still be the safest and most efficient means to transport liquids over long distances.
Did you see this blog post discussing the value-added debate around oil processing? https://www.northerngateway.ca/news-and-media/northern-gateway-blogs/jobs-and-benefits/northern-gateway-expects-to-ship-upgraded-oil/
Agatha, May 15th, 2013 (6 days ago)

Why does Enbridge not look into getting Canadians to refine their own oil? Not only would refined oil be easier to clean up IF there was ever a spill (which there won't be), but you'd flood the market with so many new jobs that you'd be hard pressed not to find support all across Canada!
Northern Gateway, Mar 26th, 2013 (2 months ago)

Hi Nicole and Andrea,
For info on careers in the oil and gas sector you can visit http://careersinoilandgas.com. That website outlines the training required to work in the industry.
There's also a large amount of information on the skills and tickets needed on the BC jobs plan website at http://bcjobsplan.ca and http://www.bcjobsplan.ca/getskills/wp-content/themes/careermovesbc/page1.php
Northern Gateway has made investments into Women Building Futures which is program designed specifically for women who are developing skills in the trades: http://www.womenbuildingfutures.com/
Our most recent investment into this organization was in January 2013 where we provided a shortfall fund which covers items not typically covered through provincial and federal funding such as child care and grocery subsidies. This was in direct response to what we heard were barriers for women who wanted to build careers in the skilled trades.
We're exploring possible training to employment programs with the UA Piping Industry College of British Columbia who runs a women-in-trades program called Piping Opportunities for Women. Our hope is to partner with union organizations, community based trainers and other service agencies to co-fund a women-in-trades program in 2013.
We'll be delivering workshops in communities across the proposed pipeline right of way in 2013 and 2014 which will showcase careers in pipelining and fully intend to include female tradespeople who can address specific questions about being a female tradesperson in a non-traditional role.
We hope that the Regional Skills and Business Database will capture the interests and career aspirations of those interested in working on Northern Gateway and in the sector more broadly. Certainly, we hope women will feel encouraged to participate.
Jobs at Enbridge are posted at http://jobs.enbridge.com. These postings detail the qualifications necessary for the wide variety of roles available with Enbridge.
Northern Gateway, Mar 25th, 2013 (2 months ago)

Hi Maria,
It's expected that 1150 long term jobs would be created across Canada: 560 in BC, 380 in AB and the rest (210) outside of these two provinces.
Northern Gateway, Mar 25th, 2013 (2 months ago)

Hi Nicole and Andrea,
Sorry for the delay in responding to your questions. We've asked our education and trianing specialist to respond to your questions directly here. As soon as we receive your answers we'll post them for you.
Maria, Mar 22nd, 2013 (2 months ago)

I have a question. I've been looking around and I was wondering how many long-term jobs the pipeline would create in total. I found the number for BC but that's it.
Andrea M. , Mar 22nd, 2013 (2 months ago)

Hi, I have similar concerns as Nicole. I have seen a lot of information about how many jobs will be being created but I was just wondering if Enbridge has laid out any plans to get more women employed on the project, and what kind of education and training would be needed to get a job on the project.
Nicole , Mar 19th, 2013 (2 months ago)

I am a single mother living in rural british columbia, you have outlined how the project will positively benefit many people but i have not seen how the company has addressed any initiatives to get more women involved...construction and oil and gas is usually a male dominated sector...
what kind of education or training would I need to get in order to be considered for a position with this project?
also could you please clarify what jobs per person years means? It is written all over your documents regarding jobs but I don't understand what that means...
Northern Gateway, Mar 18th, 2013 (2 months ago)

Hi Mark, thanks for your question.
About 62,700 person-years of employment will be created throughout the Canadian economy during the construction phase of the project, with 3,000 direct on-site workers required during the peak period of construction. These numbers come from the economic modeling that was done for the Northern Gateway National Energy Board application, found here: https://www.northerngateway.ca/assets/pdf/application/Master_Vol%202_Final_11May10.pdf
Mark , Mar 18th, 2013 (2 months ago)

The project details outline that you will be creating sustainable jobs for BC and Alberta. Could you break down the figures a bit more? How many out of the 62, 700 jobs will be just in the construction of the pipeline?

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