Project Impact
As shown in the graphs below, this proposed pipeline will have enormous positive impacts on the jobs outlook and economy of not only Alberta and British Columbia, but also Canada as a whole.
Explained very briefly, there is a nearly a 2:1 economic multiplier in a pipeline construction situation - for every $1.00 spent on construction, $2.00 is produced in the economy. Admittedly, this is lower than construction work in a oil sands capacity where it is more like 3.75:1. It is nonetheless an impressive return on investment for communities and provincial governments.
Using a method developed by Arthur Anderson we ran the numbers on this project. (Assuming an average wage of $110K.) The total number jobs created using the Arthur Anderson method for a project of this size is approximately 12K in the first round. In construction, we generally assume 22-25% of jobs on a project are direct employment. So, in this case we estimate approximately 2,735 direct construction jobs will be created as a result of the Northern Gateway project.
These are real jobs with real, life-altering consequences for not only the men and women of the Canadian Building Trades but for the economy of Canada. During these uncertain economic times, can we really afford to not invest in infrastructure and Canadian families?