Pacific Northwest LNG, the group proposing a liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction and export facility on Lelu Island, held open houses in Prince Rupert and Port Edward last week.
"The purpose of the open houses is to get feedback from the community on their thoughts and opinions on the project to see if there's any particular areas of concern because we're in the early stages of our design process. Now is a really good time to encourage the community to have a say in that," said Tessa Gill, head of stakeholder management for Pacific Northwest LNG.
Eleven individuals working on the Pacific Northwest LNG project, including the project leader, were in attendance at both open houses answering people's technical questions involving aspects such as environment, marine, engineering, First Nations engagement and more.
The first open house was held in Port Edward, with approximately 30 people showing up, followed by Prince Rupert's open house where an estimated 65 people dropped in.
"Most of the areas of interest that people might have for the facility were represented," Gill said.
According to Gill, people at the open houses were interested in employment and training opportunities, not just during the construction period but for the long-term, as well as the environmental concerns associated with the project.
Additionally, a visual impact photo was also shown at open houses displayed what the facility would look like from Port Edward's school.
Gill said people didn't give a strong response either way about how the view would be impacted, but were pleased the photo was made available.
Information gathered from open houses will be used as part of the environmental assessment process.