Is Burns Lake the place to be in 2013?
After years of steady decline that began long before the destruction of the Babine Forest Products mill a year ago, it looks like Burns Lake is poised to see a lot of economic activity as we come into the early days of 2013.
Three major projects will be well underway by early spring. A new hospital, extensive renovations to, and expansion of, the Tom Forsyth Arena, and the much anticipated rebuild of the Babine mill, will all contribute to a brief surge in construction activity and employment in the Lakes District.
The question is, how do we keep as much of that influx of capital and economic activity in the pockets of the people it’s meant to benefit?
We can’t, of course, artificially limit local job activity to residents of Burns Lake. Clearly, the economics of construction and development don’t work that way. Workers travel to and from remote centres for work never, intending to set down any kind of permanent roots where they work.
That’s a problem across Northwest B.C. As the latest job numbers show, our region struggles to sustain employment gains amongst its residents. Too often, the people who work in the Northwest leave once projects are complete.
We’ll see that here in Burns Lake. The proposal to build a temporary workers’ camp in the area shows how the economics are expected work.
Unfortunately, I could probably write my spring employment story right now. There’s a sign in the window of the B.C. Employment Centre here in Burns Lake that currently indicates ‘100 jobs available’. In early spring, 2013, that sign will probably list 200 jobs available.
For whatever reason, local contractors and employers face difficulties when it comes to finding qualified employees. At the same time, Northwest B.C. struggles with a stagnant unemployment rate that is almost twice as high as the provincial rate.
Will unemployment levels remain high throughout the region right in the middle of an enormous construction cycle in Burns Lake?
Unfortunately, we’ll never have direct numbers about the Lakes District. The sample size is just too small to derive meaningful statistics. Statistics Canada doesn’t track employment levels on such a localized level.
It will be interesting to see if the Prince George region – a region large enough to merit statistical consideration – experiences a drop in unemployment during the construction cycle in Burns Lake. Someone needs to figure out why employment levels resist rising in the Northwest. Is there some reason why we should never expect to see low unemployment numbers up here? If not, then there should be some way to bring long-term prosperity to our region.
On a positive note, projects like hospital and recreation centre improvements are the kinds of infrastructure developments that contribute to the long-term viability of a village or town. The often-maligned downtown revitalization project will also contribute to the health of Burns Lake.
We need workers and families that come from elsewhere for temporary work to take a look around Burns Lake and decide that they want to stay.
