Project Description
LNG Comes to British Columbia
In 2011, several multinational energy companies announced plans to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals in British Columbia. These proposals represented tens of billions of dollars in potential investment and promised to transform the economy of northwest BC.
The largest of these proposals was the $40 billion LNG Canada project, a joint venture led by Shell in partnership with PETRONAS, PetroChina, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Korea Gas Corporation. The project proposed to build a natural gas liquefaction and export facility in Kitimat, a small industrial town of approximately 8,000 people at the head of the Douglas Channel on the northwest coast of British Columbia.
The Town of Kitimat
Kitimat is a planned community, originally built in the 1950s to support the construction and operation of an Alcan aluminum smelter. The town has experienced cycles of boom and bust associated with the aluminum industry and, more recently, with proposals for new industrial development.
The town is located on the traditional territory of the Haisla Nation, whose community of Kitamaat Village is adjacent to Kitimat. The Haisla have their own complex relationship with industrial development in the region, having negotiated impact benefit agreements with various proponents over the years.
The Provincial Context
The announcement of LNG development in BC came during a period of significant economic and political change in the province. The BC government under Premier Christy Clark made LNG development a cornerstone of its economic strategy, promising a "prosperity fund" generated by LNG revenues that would eliminate the provincial debt and fund public services.
These promises generated enormous expectations among communities in northwest BC, many of which had experienced decades of economic hardship following the decline of traditional resource industries such as forestry and fishing.
The Buzz Phase
The "buzz phase" refers to the period of anticipation and speculation that precedes the actual construction and operation of a major resource project. During this phase, communities experience a range of social impacts even though the project has not yet begun --- and may never begin.
These anticipatory impacts are often overlooked by conventional environmental and social impact assessment processes, which tend to focus on the impacts of construction and operation rather than the impacts of anticipation and uncertainty.
Our research examines how the buzz phase affects communities through five modalities of impact:
Material Impacts
Material impacts refer to the tangible changes in the physical environment and economy that occur during the buzz phase. These include changes in real estate prices, labour markets, and local business activity as communities prepare for anticipated development.
In Kitimat, the announcement of LNG development led to significant increases in housing prices, changes in the availability and cost of rental housing, and shifts in local employment patterns as workers positioned themselves for anticipated construction jobs.
Discursive Impacts
Discursive impacts refer to the ways in which the buzz phase changes how people talk about their community, their future, and their relationship to the land. The anticipation of major resource development generates new narratives about economic opportunity, environmental risk, and community identity.
In Kitimat and the surrounding region, the announcement of LNG development sparked intense debates about the costs and benefits of industrial development, the role of government in managing resource extraction, and the rights of Indigenous peoples to control development on their traditional territories.
Temporal Impacts
Temporal impacts refer to the ways in which the buzz phase changes people's experience of time and their orientation toward the future. The anticipation of major development creates a sense of suspended animation, as individuals and communities wait for decisions that will shape their futures.
Residents of Kitimat described feeling "stuck in limbo" as they waited for final investment decisions on LNG projects. This uncertainty affected their ability to make personal and financial decisions, from whether to buy a house to whether to stay in the community.
Experiential Impacts
Experiential impacts refer to the embodied, emotional, and relational effects of living through the buzz phase. These include feelings of hope, anxiety, frustration, and division that arise as communities navigate the uncertainty of anticipated development.
In Kitimat, the buzz phase generated both excitement about economic opportunities and anxiety about potential social and environmental changes. These mixed emotions created tensions within families, friendships, and community organizations.
Imaginative Impacts
Imaginative impacts refer to the ways in which the buzz phase shapes people's capacity to imagine possible futures for themselves and their communities. The anticipation of major development expands some imaginative horizons while narrowing others.
For some residents of Kitimat, the buzz phase opened up new possibilities for economic prosperity and community revitalization. For others, it threatened to foreclose alternative visions of community life based on different relationships with the natural environment.
Summary
The British Columbia project examines how the buzz phase of LNG development in Kitimat affects the lives and livelihoods of community members through these five modalities of impact. By attending to the anticipatory dimensions of resource development, our research aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the social impacts of natural resource projects and to inform more responsive and equitable approaches to impact assessment and community engagement.