Fort St. John could play a key role in the incoming B.C. government’s plans to expand the province’s natural gas industry.
Premier-elect Lorne Doerkson highlighted the city during his election victory speech Saturday, saying communities where natural gas is extracted will be central to his vision for economic growth.
“When I say that we are going to supercharge British Columbia, I want you to know where it happens,” Doerkson told supporters.
“It isn’t going to happen on one street or in one city. It happens in Kitimat, where B.C. natural gas leaves to power the world. It happens in Fort St. John, where the gas comes out of the ground.”
Expanding the natural gas sector is a major part of the B.C. Conservatives’ economic agenda, which includes reducing red tape, attracting private investment and increasing production.
The incoming government has set a target of doubling natural gas production by 2032, with a longer-term goal of tripling output by 2035.
Doerkson has said expanding the industry could create tens of thousands of jobs and generate at least $6 billion annually for public services, including health care and education.
For Fort St. John and the wider Peace Region, the plans could put the area’s natural gas industry at the centre of the government’s economic priorities.
The extent to which the targets will be achieved, and what they could mean for local communities, will become clearer as the new government takes office and outlines its plans.
