A Gitxsan land claims negotiator is in favour of the plan by...

A Gitxsan land claims negotiator is in favour of the plan by media mogul David Black to build a refinery in Kitimat for the crude that Enbridge plans to pipe from the Alberta tar sands. This would mean that refined products like gas, diesel and kerosene would be exported on supertankers along BC’s coast, instead of the raw bitumen that is at the heart of Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline proposal. Elmer Derrick believes the jobs that would come with the refinery, should it be built, would reduce significantly First Nations unemployment.
  
“I think he made a bold move and it’s commendable,” said Derrick about Black. “The whole thing about adding value to Canadian products is very important for me because we can’t just continue to ship raw materials out for other people to add value to,” Derrick told the Terrance Standard.
   
The plan would require 6,000 workers for construction and provide another 3,000 permanent jobs afterward.
   
“I always laugh at the statistics that Canada puts out about unemployment,” said Derrick. The recent unemployment report shows a rate of 11.9 per cent for July for the North Coast and Nechako region, which covers just west of Vanderhoof to Haida Gwaii. Derrick said on First Nations reserves, that percentage skyrockets to about 75 per cent. Derrick said he’s talked to a number of Aboriginal leaders who are quite interested in the plan. He said he even hopes to help find financing for the plant.