Kitimat, British Columbia

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The District of Kitimat is a small town in northwestern British Columbia. It covers an area of 242.63 sq. km and has a population of 10,285 people (2001 census). It is within the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine. Kitimat boomed in the 1950s as the Alcan project built a dam, 16 km tunnel, powerhouse, 82 km transmission line, and smelter in the town. To cope with the fast growth Kitimat employed the famous city planner Clarence Stein, who made the town into a highly walkable natural enviromnent. The design by Clarence Stein makes the natural environment enhanced instead of turning into suburban environments.

Subsequent to the January 2006 closure of the Methanex methanol plant, Eurocan Pulp and Paper and aluminium producer Alcan became the main employers in the area. Gas company Kinder Morgan Canada has preliminary plans for a pipeline expansion to Kitimat^[1], directly connecting Alberta's oil producing areas to Pacific Rim markets.

The name Kitimat is the Haisla word for "People of the Snow" which comes from the large amounts of annual snowfall — some of the highest in Canada but have been decreasing in recent years. According to Environment Canada, Kitimat's climate normals for extreme snow depth on February 12, 1999 reached a maximum depth of 140cm (approx. 55").