The ultimate fate of the proposed Northern Gateway project is still up in the air, but the pipeline company and four labour unions have already come to an agreement about some aspects of how the construction work would happen if it's approved.
On Tuesday, Northern Gateway signed a memorandum of understanding with the labour groups who would represent workers involved in the construction of the pipeline and pump stations should the government give the $6.5 billion project a green light.
"In Canada we have a very strong workforce represented by the four unions," Northern Gateway project leader Janet Holder said. "They've been at this for generations and are the best you can get in the world so it's important that they be part of our project."
The memorandum, which sets out the overarching principles that will be applied when more detailed agreements are reached at a later date, cover the Laborers' International Union of North America, the International Union of Operating Engineers, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada.
"In order to build a better pipeline, it's not just about the standards we must live up to and will live up to, it's also about the people who will be working on the project," Holder said.
Northern Gateway is seeking to build dual oil and condensate pipelines from northern Alberta to B.C.'s north coast with an export facility in Kitimat. The $6.5 billion project received conditional approval from a Joint Review Panel in the environmental assessment phase, but still must get the blessing of the federal cabinet.
Opponents, including First Nations and environmental groups, have launched court challenges of the review panel's conclusions and other groups have threatened further litigation if the federal government approves the project.
Holder said the company hasn't heard anything from the cabinet about how those deliberations are going.
"I think that's by design," she said. "They don't typically talk about this once it's in their hands to make a decision."
Organized labour is split when it comes to support of the pipeline. The largest private-sector union in Canada, Unifor, is opposed to the pipeline citing concerns around exporting relatively unprocessed oilsands products. Unifor represents the unionized employees at the Prince George Citizen.
The Alberta Federation of Labour was an active participant in the Northern Gateway environmental review process and called on the National Energy Board panel to challenge the oilsands companies to find ways to add value to projects closer to home through more refineries and upgrading facilities, which would create longer term jobs.
"It's a monstrous bitumen superhighway which will send thousands of high-paying jobs in upgrading and refining out of the country," Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said last year after the Joint Review Panel gave conditional approval to the pipeline. "Instead of those jobs being created in Fort McMurray or Fort Saskatchewan, they'll be created in Shanghai or Bejing."
According to Tuesday's agreement signed between the company and the unions, the construction phase of the project would result in 2,100 person years of employment. The memorandums of understanding include details around commitments Northern Gateway made during the environmental review process, including a pledge to hire a work force which includes 15 per cent aboriginals.
Holder said even though the agreements are in place, she said the company has some concerns about the availability of the skilled workers needed to complete the project.
"I think anybody who is in resource development is always concerned about whether we have enough skilled labour to handle all these projects," she said. "As a result we continue to work with the communities along our right of way as well as the colleges and other educational institutions to help us train people today so that they're ready for a project of this size."
