Kitimat
Article by Sarah Zimmerman. Photo: Camus Photography
Click here to visit the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce website.
As you reach the crossroads of Highways 16 and 37 at Terrace, taking a turn to the south leads you Kitimat, a gem of a community nestled on the shores of the Douglas Chanel.
Located across the water from the Haisla village of Kitamaat, the community of Kitimat is home to Rio Tinto’s aluminium smelter – for which the community was developed in 1952. Flash forward to today, and that original smelter has undergone a multimillion dollar modernization project and Kitimat is once again home to Canada’s largest modern day industrial development project – the LNG Canada project, which is expected to be complete in and in service in 2023.
Not only does it employ 1050 people from both Kitimat and Terrace, it spends millions of dollars annually at regional businesses. Be it sourcing trucking needs, cleaning and industrial supplies, uniforms or hiring regional subcontractors and professionals for special projects, Rio Tinto is central to any discussion about Kitimat’s economy.
According to its annual Sustainability Report, in 2019 Rio Tinto Alcan’s BC Works contributed more than $843 million to the BC Economy. $217 million alone was spent in annual salaries, benefits and pension payments, while the industrial giant paid $35 million in direct annual contributions to municipal and provincial tax base. That tax base means Kitimat residents benefit from exceptional municipal services that are the envy of many other communities. In
Rio Tinto also contributes to dozens of organizations and projects in Kitimat, but also further afield in the region such as Shames Mountain/My Mountain Coop, Canada’s first cooperatively owned ski hill, located about 35 km west of Terrace. Drawing skiers and snowboarders from around the northwest, the non-profit welcomes the much needed support to improve its operations and long-term sustainability. Most recently, Rio Tinto contributed $30,000 to support the hill’s replacement of its old handle tow with an easy-to-load covered conveyor belt that makes the slopes more accessible for beginners and families.
While Kitimat has a strong industrial foundation, the community itself was carefully planned for families and was purposefully built to be accessible not just in a car, but on foot. An exceptional network of walking paths lead you throughout the community connecting residential areas to the downtown core, its services and recreational facilities. Boasting two ice rinks, an aquatic centre that draws people from surrounding communities, an 18-hole golf course and a plethora of outdoor activities from hiking, charter tours and ocean fishing, to river fishing, kayaking and biking, Kitimat makes the short trip off Hwy 16 worth it.
At the heart of the community lies a busy downtown core anchored by the City Centre Mall grocery stores, some familiar chain restaurants and stores, but it’s also home to unique businesses that have thrived in Kitimat for years. Places such as Caprice Trading Post.
Like many small-town communities, Kitimat is interconnected and friendly. Even if you aren’t from the community, you get the feeling that everybody knows everybody. That also means that you don’t have to look far to get directions, find the best coffee in town or get the local intel around fishing on local rivers, or out on the ocean.
Just ask Ron Wakita, owner of Ron’s Mobile Fishing Tackle & Bait Shop. Ron’s family had owned a City Centre Hardware since 1957, founded by Jim Mihoko Wakita. It began as a hardware store but expanded into fishing, tackle and hunting. As sport finishing gained popularity the fishing tackle stream evolved. Four generations of the family have worked in the family’s businesses. While the store shut its doors, Ron’s new, innovative seasonal business that offers mobile tackle, bait, fishing charters took off. One thing didn’t change – Ron’s easy conversation and his wealth of Kitimat knowledge.
As Ron geared up for retirement, he began to think about how the hardware store business could be downsized to accommodate his desire to achieve more work-life balance by splitting his time between Kitimat and getting away for a few months a year in Hawaii. The mobile tackle shop was the perfect solution. It seems like a dream, he says, but he believes that everybody has the ability to create the opportunities they want in life.
“It was the ideal situation to downsize,” Ron says about downsizing the business, to accommodate his desire to chase the sun. “It doesn’t happen unless you make it happen.”
On the other end of the spectrum, are those entrepreneurs that have only recently opened businesses, filling a niche that wasn’t filled before.
Take for example, Hale. The gluten free, sugar free bakery specializes in beautiful, healthy treats that are not only better for you, but also taste delicious. Owner Jennifer Jonkman opened the storefront in November 2021 after running a successful home-based business and decided to take the chance on a brick and mortar space that sold delicious baked treats and a mean cup of White Goat Coffee, roasted, packaged and distributed from Terrace, BC.
Sourcing what she can from local businesses, or businesses from other communities in the region, is important. Jonkman says a lot of the essentials can be found in the region and don’t necessarily need to be ordered from the online space. Take eggs, for example. The only egg producer in the north is just up the highway in Terrace at Daybreak Farms. Knowing the eggs are produced locally, are conveniently available and are extra fresh means it’s an easy choice to make, that also supports a business in a neighbouring community.
Making those small decisions to source local and support regional businesses is an example of the cultural shift that can happen if businesses and consumers take the time to seek out local suppliers and goods.
“I really do think that we look at it as Terrace, Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Smithers - we are one big community,” says Jonkman. “If we can support one another in small ways, we are keeping that regional community stronger.”
That sense of a regional community extends beyond supplies and shopping. It extends to ice arenas, soccer fields and gymnasiums across the northwest. When local businesses are successful, without fail, they also support groups and organizations in their own communities.
Ron Wakita reflects on the decades that his family ran the hardware store and just how many chocolate bar fundraisers, raffle tickets, silent auctions and sports teams the family business supported - not just financially, but on the sidelines and in the stands. Unlike in larger urban centres where the results of that kind of support may not be seen, in the northwest, everything comes full circle as business owners also find themselves on the sidelines cheering their own kids on
“We sponsored minor hockey for 40 something years,” he says, adding that included attending four generations of local tournaments and regional games that connected communities all along the Hwy 16 corridor. “Regionally we see the same folks at arenas and soccer fields.”
Whether you are hoping to visit the Giant Spruce, access some of the best fishing opportunities in the world or if you just want to explore a new community on foot, Kitimat offers a little something for anyone. Not sure where to start? Just ask, a friendly face is sure to help you out.
Click here to visit the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce website.
