" Everybody is looking for work around home, but [they]may not be aware that there are jobs available in Kitimat or in Terrace or Fort St. John. That's not for everybody, but if you're a young person looking for a job, maybe horizons need to be expanded a bit," John Les says in Nanaimo in the runup to the announcement of the province's new job strategy.
The lyrics of Nanaimo, a song on folksinger Bob Bossin's album The Roses on Annie's Table, are quite blunt. "It's so nice not to be in Nanaimo. Not to be in Nanaimo in the fall. Not to be in the Nanaimo in spring time. Not to be in Nanaimo at all."
John Les, parliamentary secretary to Premier Christy Clark, was a bit more diplomatic. Nanaimo has among the highest unemployment rates in the province. During a discussion with members of the city's business community, Mr. Les suggested Nanaimo residents who cannot find work, especially younger people, should leave home and go to northern B.C. to find a job.
Politically, it's a risky statement. Mr. Les has offended local pride, insulting a municipality that has fallen on tough times. Sending the city's younger generation to the North will not help Nanaimo pick up its game. His remarks leave the impression that the provincial government has no plans to help create jobs in Nanaimo.
But economically speaking, Mr. Les's advice makes sense. Nanaimo this spring had an unemployment rate that was twice that of the rest of the province.
Job prospects in the city have fluctuated over the past decade, with the unemployment rate swinging from 12.7 per cent in 2001 to 6 per cent in 2007 to 16.3 per cent in April, (based on BC Stats reports of the three-month moving average, seasonally adjusted.) A drop in tourism and the high Canadian dollar hit retail, restaurant and hospitality jobs especially hard, sending the labour market into a tail spin over the past year.
Meanwhile, up North, the cities are on the cusp of an economic boom, sparked by projects worth $11-billion. The developments are expected to create thousands of new jobs within the next five years.
The list of projects includes a new export terminal near Kitimat for natural gas; modernization of the Rio Tinto Alcan Kitimat smelter; construction of a new 344-kilometre Hydro transmission line that will open up prospects for several more mining properties; a 195-megawatt run-of-river hydroelectric project on Tahltan First Nation lands; and development of a copper and gold property.
The jobs could transform Terrace, a forest-dependent city that has been in a slump since its mills closed down. The mining town of Kitimat has been more stable than Terrace but will also feel the glow from the multibillion-dollar investments in the region. Oil and gas developments over the past decade have already lifted up Fort St John, in northeastern B.C.
Mr. Les is premature in urging the unemployed of Nanaimo to move to the North. Most of the jobs are not yet available. But many are, says Evan van Dyk, Terrace's economic development officer. "There is huge opportunity if, say you are from Nanaimo and cannot find work or don't want to work for eight dollars an hour or $10 an hour," he said in an interview. Starting wage for labourers with a high-school education is $28 an hour and carpenters are earning up to $40 an hour in these projects, he said.
But jobs in Terrace, Kitimat and Fort St John will do nothing for the economy of the second largest city on Vancouver Island.
Nanaimo Mayor John Ruttan was disappointed with Mr. Les's remarks, which he described as "regrettable." Unemployment rates are cyclical and have already dropped in Nanaimo from the rates seen in the spring, he said in an interview. Last month, the unemployment rate was at 12.3 per cent.
The municipality is working with the local university to see how to improve employment opportunities for skilled labour. A new economic development corporation has been created to develop a business plan for economic growth.
Mr. Ruttan insists that Nanaimo residents do not have to leave their home town to find work. "Our future is strong. In the next decade, I see huge growth," Mr. Ruttan said.
Editor's note: Fort St. John is in northeastern B.C. Incorrect information appeared in an earlier version of this story. This version has been ammended.