Site C job statistics show hundreds of jobs created for B.C. workers

March 31st, 2016

FORT ST. JOHN – During the first eight months of construction, BC Hydro's Site C Clean Energy Project has created hundreds of jobs for British Columbians. In the coming months and years, thousands of additional jobs will be created as major contracts get underway for main civil works, turbines and generators, transmission and the generating station and spillways.

BC Hydro is committed to providing economic opportunities for northern and Aboriginal communities. That's why a series of job fairs were held across northern B.C. communities earlier this year in Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, Fort St. John, Prince George, Mackenzie, Quesnel and Tumbler Ridge.

Since construction started in summer 2015, employment at the construction site peaked in February at almost 700 workers on site. A strong majority of jobs to date have gone to B.C. workers, averaging about 70 per cent, with the remaining workers coming from elsewhere in Canada.

Employment numbers are provided by Site C contractors and are subject to revision.

As with any construction project, the number of workers – and the proportion from any particular location – will vary month-to-month and also reflects the seasonal nature of construction work. Over the August-October period, an average of 75 per cent of workers were from B.C. There was an average of 67 per cent over the winter months (November-January) and 71 per cent of workers on the project in February were from B.C.

Facts:

• The main civil works contractor is now mobilizing to the Site C construction site and expects to hire 600 workers by early summer of this year. Employment for main civil works alone will peak at 1,500 workers by mid-2018.
• In total, 10,000 person-years of direct construction jobs will be created from building Site C, with 33,000 person-years of total employment.
• BC Hydro and its contractors are committed to making sure that job opportunities on Site C are widely known in the region and promoted to local workers. Job postings for Site C are posted on the website of www.employmentconnections.bc.ca, based in Fort St. John, and www.workbc.ca.
• No temporary foreign workers have been used to date on Site C construction.

Construction of Site C started in July 2015 and will be completed in 2024. Once built, Site C will provide clean, reliable and cost-effective electricity in B.C. for more than 100 years.

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