Meet one of our prime contractors – Macro Spiecapag Joint Venture
In 2018, Coastal GasLink selected Macro Spiecapag Joint Venture (MSJV) to construct sections 5 and 8 of the 670-kilometre project. In selecting our prime contractors, we sought out highly qualified companies that met our core principles for safety, environmental stewardship, local and indigenous engagement.
We recently caught up with Leah Babstock, Human Resources Lead for MSJV at one of the Coastal GasLink economic summits and asked her a few questions about MSJV and their role with the Coastal GasLink Project.
What experience does your company have working on major projects like Coastal GasLink?
MSJV was developed about five years ago. We took the experience of Macro Pipelines, which has Canadian Rockies experience and combined it with Spiecapag who is known worldwide for developing and building difficult pipelines around the world.
What excites you about being involved in the Coastal GasLink Project?
The Coastal GasLink Project is in my opinion making Canadian history and I’m very excited to be a part of something that engages the communities to bring a lot more economic sustainability to Canada. It’s something I will look back on for a lot of years of my life and be very proud to have been a part of it.
How important is safety and the environment to your company?
Our commitment to safety and environment is part of our culture. We work closely with CGL to develop our safety plans and environmental protection plans and make sure that we clearly communicate those to our workforce and our subcontractors.
You will be building approximately 166km of the project in sections 5 and 8 — tell us a bit about the terrain?
It’s arguably the most technical challenging pipeline spread being built in North America today. Some of our challenges are steep slopes, and so we are installing a cable crane system that will bring material to the right of way. That’s essentially a kilometre-long gondola!
What’s your process in ensuring local and First Nations businesses are connected to jobs on the project?
First and foremost, attending these events gives us an excellent opportunity to connect with local businesses who are interested in working with the project. We will also build relationships so we can make sure we are sharing what positions are available for local job opportunities. For subcontracting opportunities, CGL will provide us a list of all of the subcontractors and First Nations who have registered, in addition to our own lists, and we will make sure they’re included in our Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process.
Our prime contractors are largely responsible for hiring and managing the various subcontractors and employees who will be required to construct the project. Coastal GasLink has made a clear commitment that our contractors will prioritize local and indigenous people and businesses.
Learn more about our prime contractors, and contracting and employment opportunities.
Over the next few months, we will be profiling Coastal GasLink’s other three prime contractors in our newsletter, the Connector. Be sure to register for the Connector to get the up to date information about the project.