The voice is rather familiar, as is the enthusiasm for the current topic, as former Prince Rupert Mayor, now the local contact for the BG Group's proposed PrinceRupertLNG terminal development on Ridley Island offers up some of his thoughts in a radio advertisement for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
Mr. Pond, offers up the narrative of how the arrival of LNG development could provide a number of benefits for the local community, beyond the well paying jobs, he outlines the impact that new industry could have on some vital civic services, such as police, fire and roads to name a few.
All of them familiar themes of late in the community as it tries to work out its budget concerns with a stagnant, if not declining tax base in the community.
Now obviously, since he's employed by the LNG industry, he's providing the best case scenario for a local presence of LNG on the North Coast. Eager no doubt to see the proposed Terminal on the path to construction and the new economic indicators making their presence on the North Coast.
The counter arguments, suggesting a slower pace and one with much overview on the prospect of Natural Gas development will be made by others. With local NDP MLA, Jennifer Rice, providing some of the point work thus far on the LNG file in the British Columbia Legislature. (see here and here)
Still, as one of the city's largest boosters in recent years, Mr. Pond, has seen the decline of the city's industrial base, infrastructure and financial balance sheets during his time as Mayor. He offers up at least one theme as to how the region may begin to reverse some of those well documented concerns.
It's not the first time that the former Mayor has been interviewed on the theme of LNG development, he was one of the featured guests on Bill Good's recent tour of the region in March, providing much in the way of background on the community's past and the prospect of LNG development for Good's province wide radio audience.
You can listen in to his most recent work, by way of the CAPP advertisement (one of a series of vignettes of northern communities and LNG development called BC People), as it was aired on CKNW Radio on Wednesday morning (July 31st).
Use their Audio Vault or podcast feature and select the 10 to 11 hour, the CAPP ad arrives at the 10:16 mark of the hour.
Update: BC People has updated their YouTube channel, the full line up of profiles can be found here.
The Herb Pond profile is now available for viewing you can check it out below.
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Didn't colman just make an agreement with china to bring in their own workers. Look what is happening at a mine in northern bc.....they are hiring all temp chinese workers......for three years!! lol You gotta be pretty dumb to believe anything a liberal tells you. Lets see......a lng plant at the mouth of the skeena, one right beside our airport........and the other beside our water supply....hmmm......who buying who off.
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