B.C.’s REALITY: ‘Nobody Knows Exactly What Rules They’re Playing By’: A Northwestern B.C. MLA on Why Investment is Stalling

Claire Rattée says communities from Terrace to Kitimat are ready to grow — but unclear policies and permitting delays are getting in the way

By Ian Biana

Claire Rattée, MLA for Skeena

By Resource Works
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Claire Rattée represents a vast and diverse region in northwestern British Columbia. As MLA for Skeena and the official opposition critic for mental health, addiction, and housing supports, she brings a grounded perspective shaped by business and local government.

From small business to public service

Before entering provincial politics, Rattée built a life in Kitimat as a tattoo artist and small business owner. Frustration with local processes pushed her into public service. “I decided to run,” she says, recalling her first campaign for city council. That decision led to a four-year term, followed by federal runs and, most recently, her election to the legislature.

Her riding stretches across Kitimat, Terrace, Thornhill, the Nass Valley, and surrounding Indigenous territories, including Nisga’a, Haisla, Kitselas, and Kitsumkalum lands. It is a region defined by resource industries, but also by uneven economic outcomes.

Rattée sees those contrasts clearly. “We’re not seeing nearly the level of investment that we should be,” she says, pointing to a lack of certainty that she believes is holding communities back.

When industry fades

In Terrace, Rattée sees a cautionary tale. Once anchored by forestry, the community has struggled to replace lost industrial capacity.

“You take a community like Terrace that was really built on forestry,” she says. “This is a community that is struggling.”

Without a strong industrial tax base, the burden shifts to residents. Property taxes rise. Jobs disappear. Families leave. The ripple effects are felt across the region.

Rattée argues that this is not inevitable. It reflects policy choices and investment signals. When industries decline without replacement, smaller communities lose their economic backbone.

That reality shapes how she evaluates current policy. For Rattée, the issue is not just whether projects proceed, but whether communities can rely on stable rules and long-term planning.

Big projects, uneven benefits

Few places illustrate the power of major investment like Kitimat. The community has hosted two of the largest private-sector investments in Canadian history, including LNG Canada and Rio Tinto’s modernization.

“The benefits are immense,” Rattée says. Job creation, local spending, and corporate contributions have helped sustain the town.

But the gains are not evenly shared. Nearby communities often see the workforce impacts without the tax base. That has driven calls for resource revenue sharing across the region.

Rattée also points to lessons from how projects are structured. Work camps, in particular, shape how benefits flow.

“There needs to be a bit more of a balance,” she says. When workers are isolated from communities, local businesses lose out. Restaurants, retail shops, and service providers miss opportunities tied to major projects.

At the same time, she acknowledges the need to protect local infrastructure and housing. The challenge is finding a middle ground that allows communities to participate in the economic upside.

Global markets, local stakes

Skeena’s economy is deeply tied to global energy demand. Coastal access gives Kitimat and Prince Rupert a strategic advantage, especially for exports to Asia.

Rattée emphasizes how geography and climate work in the region’s favour. Shorter shipping distances and colder temperatures make LNG production more efficient.

But her argument goes beyond economics. She frames LNG as part of a broader environmental strategy.

“If we can offset their use of coal by producing LNG and shipping it there, the effect on the environment globally is massive,” she says.

It is a perspective rooted in global emissions, not just local impacts. For Rattée, resource development and environmental progress can align when projects displace higher-emission alternatives abroad.

The search for certainty

Across her riding, communities are proposing projects and seeking investment. Indigenous nations are advancing geothermal, forestry, biomass, and LNG initiatives. Municipalities are looking to diversify their economies.

What they share, Rattée says, is a need for clarity.

“Overall, they’re all looking for certainty, clarity, streamlining processes and permitting,” she says.

Instead, she argues, they face shifting rules and delays. “Nobody knows exactly what rules they’re playing by,” she adds.

Looking ahead, Rattée expects pressure to build. Communities, she suggests, will grow less tolerant of stalled projects and unclear timelines.

Her outlook is blunt. Governments that fail to respond, she says, “are going to be forced to.”

Ian Biana writes for the Resource Works Accelerate team and can be reached at [email protected].

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