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 8,987 people (2006 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 environment. 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. In August 2006, Alcan announced that it will commit US$1.8 Billion to upgrade the Kitimat aluminium plant. This will involve modernization of the potlines to increase production from current ~250.000 tons/yr to 400.000 tons/yr.

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").

Contents 1 Early History of Kitimat 2 Media 2.1 Newspaper 2.2 Radio 2.3 Television 3 Notes 4 External links

[edit] Early History of Kitimat

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In the late 40's the Canadian Government wanted to expand British Columbia to include the untapped resources of the northwest. When exploration was done to check the power generating abilities of northwest British Columbia the Nechako Watershed was found. Since, at the time the B.C. government The potential of this vast system of rivers and lakes prompted B.C. to invite Alcan to further investigate the area. Alcan was searching for a place to build a large aluminum smelter, smelting aluminum required a large amount of electricity. Alcan saw the area as more than adequate to provide the electricity, and decided to build their smelter there.

Although, the time was not appropriate to undertake the project, so they decided to wait until the post-World War II boom, when people were looking for light metals.

In the 1950's, after signing the agreement with the British Columbia government for land and water rights, Alcan undertook arguably one of the most ambitious engineering projects of the 21 st century. The project required, not only the damming and reversal of the Nechako River drainage basin. It also included the boring a 16km hole straight through Mt. Dubose to the generating station, also built into Mt. Dubose.

The large volume of electricity was transported 80 kilometers across mountains, via a custom built twin circuit transmission line. Further up the river the carving of the townsite of the future town of Kitimat was underway.

All the construction undertaken by Alcan came out totaling around 500 million dollars, which today would be worth around 3.3 billion dollars. The construction included the employment of over 35,000 workers during the 5 years it took to build the dam. It also included the hydroelectric generating station, a small community at Kemano, a 250,000 tpy aluminum smelter, a deep sea port that had to be open year-round, a complete townsite built to house 50,000 people and a highway to connect the prophesized "city" to the outside world.

As a result of this large project, other companies also saw the potential of the area and other industries were developed in the Kitimat valley.

There had already been a small number of inhabitants of the area, namely aboriginals. The Haisla were the oldest existing group of people to live there. A number of people, hoping that a railroad terminus would be built in the area, had moved there to start farms and new homesteads. As with most major constructions, especially in such a untouched area, much controversy followed this feat of construction. The pre-existing people of the area started to raise concerns about the flooding caused by the reservoir. It would, as they saw it, cover a number of homesteads, villages, burial grounds, and millions of feet of prime board timber. All while it largely disrupted the fish habitat of the Nechako river.

Hydroelectricity

The Provincial Government of British Columbia had performed extensive evaluations of the potential for hydroelectric generating capacity late in the 1920s, identifying the Eutsuk/Ootsa/Nechako drainage basin as a potential for creating a sizable reservoir. Unable to finance the development, the government sought a private industry to underwrite the construction and development of power generation. The Aluminum Company of Canada was interested in the project, as smelting aluminum is an energy intensive process. However, the company was not in a position to take on the project until after the completion of World War II, when the post war boom and demand for light metal made the expenditure viable.

In the 1950s, after signing an agreement with the British Columbia government for property and water rights, Alcan undertook the Kitimat/Kemano Project, the damming and reversal of the Nechako River drainage basin. It was arguably one of the most ambitious engineering projects of the 20th century, because it required not only the construction of Kenny Dam, but also the boring of a 16-kilometre-long tunnel straight through Mt. Dubose of the Coast Mountains to the generating plant which was also built into the mountain.

The power generated was delivered to the newly constructed smelter located at the mouth of the Kitimat River, approx. 80 kilometers across the mountains, carried by a custom built, twin circuit transmission line. Further up the Kitimat River, the townsite of Kitimat was carved out of the old growth forest. The company invested over 500 million dollars and employeed over 35,000 workers over the five years required to build an earthen dam, a hydroelectric generating staion inside the mountain, followed by a small community at Kemano, a 250,000 tpy aluminum smelter, a deepwater port open year round, a complete townsite designed for a population of 50,000 and a paved highway to the outside world. The project opened the northwest to heavy industry and provided substantial employment and growth opportunities. As a result of Alcan's project in Kitimat, other industry has developed in the Kitimat valley.

The project was a marvel of the time, setting innumerable records and changing the face of the province, but it was not without its controversies. Aboriginal groups, farmers and residents of the Nechako lakes district as well as politicians have long opposed the contractual release of provincial resources with the proceeds going to a Corporation. Many individuals and groups protested the flooding caused by the creation of the new reservoir, with the destruction of homesteads, villages, burial grounds and millions of board feet of prime timber, as well as the disruption of prime fish habitat on the Nechako and Fraser rivers.

In the late 1980s, the company began work on Kemano Completion Project which would have doubled the generating capacity of the reservoir system. The Provincial Government of the day called a halt to the project for a variety of reasons, Alcan had already bored a second tunnel through the mountain and extended the generating station within the mountain. With an investment of over 500 million in the project, the company and government went to court. Alcan eventually settled with the government by signing the 1997 KCP agreement.

In 1998, Alcan began cutting production at the smelter and selling the excess power to Powerex. Kitimat and Terrace's communities both became angered by the production cut and the export of power because it represented a loss of jobs and continuing decreased production of aluminum. While the company did not reduce it's workforce as a direct result of the cutback, the overall number of employees has been shrinking steadily and as a result, businesses have been disappearing, schools have been closing and property values are in decline.

As of July, 2005, the towns of Kitimat is suing Alcan for violation of the contract drafted in the 1950s. The contract was to allow Alcan to come into British Columbia and create hydro-electric power using a public resource. The power was to be sent to Kitimat, to create jobs through aluminum production, and the remainder to Terrace, British Columbia, and neighboring towns using the existing provincial power grid. The contention of a concerned citizens' group named Save the Northwest is that Alcan is no longer interested in aluminum production and would rather sell electricity for a profit. Under the terms of the 1997 KCP agreement, the company was to expand or upgrade its operations in the Northwest to ensure sustainable employment for British Columbians.

In August 2006, Alcan announced that it will commit US$1.8 Billion to upgrade the Kitimat aluminium plant. This will involve modernization of the potlines to increase production from current ~250.000 tons/yr to 400.000 tons/yr. The new investment has guaranteed Kitimat's existence for another 60 yrs

[edit] Media

[edit] Newspaper

• Kitimat Northern Sentinel

[edit] Radio

• AM 590 - CFTK, Terrace, hot adult contemporary
• FM 92.1 - CFNR, Classic Rock / First Nations community
• FM 95.3 - CBTH, CBC Radio One
• FM 96.9 - CBUF-3, La Première Chaîne
• FM 97.7 - CKTK (FM)|CKTK, Kitimat, hot adult contemporary
• FM 103.1 - CJFW, country

[edit] Television

• Channel 3 - CFTK, CBC Television private affiliate
• Channel 11 - CBUFT, SRC

[edit] Notes

1. ^ KMC's Northern Leg of the TMX Project

[edit] External links

• District of Kitimat
• Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine
• Methanex Announces Plans to Close Kitimat Plant
• Kitimat Historical Weather