Strike averted at lodge for LNG workers in Kitimat, B.C.

A trestle bridge being constructed to support cryogenic pipes that will transfer liquefied natural gas from storage to ships at berth is seen at the LNG Canada export terminal, in Kitimat, B.C., on Wednesday, September 28, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Employees at a lodge housing workers for LNG Canada's under-construction facility in Kitimat, B.C., have won wage increases of up to 40 per cent, averting a strike.

The workers' union, Unite Here Local 40, says in a statement the new deal was reached after mediation with the employer at the BC Labour Board.

It says the 450 hospitality workers at Cedar Valley Lodge unanimously voted in favour of ratifying the new contract on Saturday.

The union says the agreement means most staff will see a 30- to 40-per-cent pay bump over a one-year contract, while lodge workers will immediately get $5 more per hour and maintenance staff will get an immediate 10-per-cent pay increase.

It says the deal also includes increases in vacation pay, improvements to medical benefits and the establishment of a retirement plan as well as adding workload protections for kitchen, janitor and housekeeping roles.

The union previously said Cedar Valley typically accommodates up to 5,000 camp workers for LNG Canada and is “the only accommodation facility in Kitimat large enough” to house so many people.

The massive $40-billion project in Kitimat is about 85 per cent complete and is the only LNG export facility under construction in Canada. It is scheduled to begin delivery mid-decade.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2023.