Trans Mountain signs community agreement

“We are committed to offsetting the construction impacts of the Expansion Project and providing direct benefits to communities. We are happy this agreement will support new housing and student education that will create lasting legacies for the residents of Valemount,” says Lizette Parsons Bell, Director of Stakeholder Engagement & Communications for Trans Mountain.

The Agreement includes CAN$135 000 to support the eventual development of housing on a parcel of Village owned land, located directly south of the High School, and CAN$50 000 in education funding to support students in the trades, technology and environmental programmes related to the pipeline industry.

Council reviewed the terms of the initial Agreement, signed in 2015, and determined that these projects reflect the current needs of the Village.

“The Village of Valemount is pleased to work with Trans Mountain on this agreement, which will contribute to a distinctive legacy within our community,” says Owen Torgerson, Mayor of the Village of Valemount. “This funding will allow for the Village to further explore significant, universally accessible housing solutions which will be of benefit for years to come.”

Trans Mountain values the relationships it has built with communities along the pipeline corridor that span over our 65-year history. It has signed Community Benefit Agreements along 95% of the pipeline route, which help with initiatives from education and training opportunities, to investing in infrastructure and park and trail improvement projects. The funds help to compensate for public inconvenience and temporary disruption caused in the route communities during construction.

The Village of Valemount is part of Trans Mountain’s North Thompson construction Spread that includes approximately 275 km of pipeline construction between Mount Robson Provincial Park and Trans Mountain’s Darfield Pump Station north of Kamloops, BC, as well as three pump stations. Construction on the Temporary Stockpile Site in Valemount is expected to begin in the coming weeks and pipeline construction is expected to begin in the 3Q20. At peak construction, approximately 900 people are expected to be working in the area by 2021.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/project-news/25022020/trans-mountain-signs-community-agreement/