By LAURA KEIL
Kinder Morgan Canada and Ledcor are seeking Council’s approval for a sleeper camp near Valemount for up to three years to house up to 550 workers.
The report notes Valemount does not have sufficient rentals to accommodate the workers. Some 750 workers are anticipated at the height of construction.
The 20ha camp would include accommodations, construction offices, site warehouse material and equipment storage and be located on the East side of Highway 5 across from the Best Western and south of King Road (see map)
Council gave the go-ahead to advertise public consultation for the Temporary Use Permit. A permit is needed since the lands are not zoned for a temporary camp.
According to the report to Council, water will be trucked onto site and stored in tanks. Fire hydrants will be required on site to provide fire suppression. Sewage will be hauled off site and sent to the Village of Valemount’s sewage treatment plant for disposal. Utility charges will apply, to be determined by the Director of Finance. Solid waste will be hauled off site and sent to the nearest transfer station.
The proposed camp is going to be setback a considerable distance from Highway 5, with trees between the highway and proposed living quarters.
Though the pipeline faces a legal challenge from First Nations, Municipalities and the new provincial NDP government, the company is optimistic it can began land clearing this fall and start construction this winter.
The previous B.C. government let Ottawa give the final approval for the $7.4 billion pipeline, which nearly triples the capacity of the 1150-km pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby for shipment to global markets.
According to a CBC article, that means the NDP can’t legally block the project if the Supreme Court rules consultation has been adequate. That said, they can still place more regulatory and legal hurdles in front of the pipeline before it starts construction.
In a tweet Aug. 10th Kinder Morgan said “We remain committed to continued consultation as we move forward with construction in September.” and “We remain ready & willing to meet with the Government to work through their concerns & issues raised by them today.”
The page on their website dedicated to North Thompson construction https://www.transmountain.com/north-thompson says land clearing is set to begin in September, with construction spanning from October 2017 to June 2019.
According to a fact sheet on the Trans Mountain website: a sleeper camp as well as local accommodations such as hotels, RV parks and rental properties will be used to house workers in Valemount. An est. 700 workers plus 60 KMC construction management staff will reside in the community at the workforce peak in spring 2018.
