POWER LINE SUPPORT GROWS
A LOCAL small businessman wants to make sure his children have the chance to earn a living in the area.
But the area’s economic decline has Nino Roldo worried that his three children will have to leave to work when they turn older.
It’s why Roldo says it’s important for the business community and others to turn out to hear more about the Northwest Transmission Line at a meeting April 29.
The line to run up Hwy37 North, estimated to cost $404 million, will provide direct and indirect jobs, says Roldo, the owner of Rolcan, a welding and fabricating business.
“We need some high paying jobs and we need some prosperity here,” said Roldo.
“We need to show that we interested and that we want to work.”
At one time, when forestry provided plenty of business, Roldo would have between five and 10 people working for him.
“But this winter, I had one. I’ve just hired another person the other day but that’s just for one job,” he said.
Roldo said that while the Northwest Transmission Line is important as an industrial project all by itself, the power it can provide is crucial to converting promising mineral properties into mines in the Hwy37 North region.
He listed the Red Chris copper property belong to Imperial Metals and NovaGold’s Galore Creek copper property as two requiring Northwest Transmission Line power if they are to develop into working mines.
Both need to build their own power lines from their properties to the Northwest Transmission Line.
“Just think if these projects went ahead. There’s be all those direct jobs and thousands of spin off jobs,” said Roldo.
April 29’s transmission line session here is preceded by one April 27 in Dease Lake and one the next night in Smithers.
They are being held by the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office as part of the line’s 180-day environmental review that is now underway.
There’s a 45-day period for public comment which ends June 10.
The provincial government-owned B.C. Transmission Corporation, which would build the line, will have officials here tomorrow night to answer any questions.
The April 29 session takes place at the Coast Inn of the West and begins at 5 p.m. with a project presentation scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
