VANCOUVER, B.C. — September 15, 2026 — Resource communities are where many of British Columbia’s biggest economic ambitions become real. They are also where the pressures that come with growth are felt first.
That was the message behind the Resource Works Community Achievement Award, presented Monday to Kitimat Mayor Phil Germuth at the second annual GET IT DONE B.C. forum in Vancouver.
Resource Works Chair Richard Prokopanko presented Germuth with a locally hand-carved and hand-painted red cedar paddle created by Kwakwaka’wakw artist Ross Henderson.
“Phil Germuth has led Kitimat through a remarkable period in its history,” said Prokopanko. “Billions of dollars of investment and major projects bring enormous opportunity, but communities also have to manage what comes with that growth. Phil has understood that from the beginning. His focus has been on making sure investment translates into infrastructure, stronger relationships and lasting benefits for the people who call Kitimat home.”
During Germuth’s time as mayor, Kitimat has found itself at the centre of a transformation in British Columbia’s resource economy.
Major LNG development has brought new investment and jobs to the region while placing Kitimat on the international energy map. At the same time, the community has had to confront the practical realities of growth, from infrastructure and transportation to housing, services and relationships with neighbouring communities.
Among the milestones has been the new Haisla Bridge, an important piece of local infrastructure, and the 2024 Friendship Agreement between the District of Kitimat and the Haisla Nation, which formalized a commitment to stronger cooperation and communication between the neighbouring communities.
For Resource Works CEO Stewart Muir, Kitimat offers an important lesson for a province looking to attract investment and build major projects.
“We talk a lot about getting projects built in British Columbia, but ultimately those projects land somewhere,” said Muir. “They land in communities like Kitimat. That means economic development cannot just be measured by the size of an investment. It has to be measured by what remains in the community. For Kitimat that’s better infrastructure, stronger partnerships, good jobs and opportunities that can last for generations.”
Kitimat’s experience also reflects the challenge facing resource communities across British Columbia. Growth creates opportunity, but it requires communities to plan, build and adapt, often at a pace few other municipalities experience.
“Resource communities do an extraordinary amount of the heavy lifting that makes British Columbia’s economy possible,” Muir said. “The point of this award is to recognize that contribution and the local leadership behind it. Mayor Germuth and the people of Kitimat have shown what it looks like to meet change with ambition, practicality and a strong sense of community.”
The Resource Works Community Achievement Award recognizes leadership in communities helping advance economic opportunity, responsible resource development, infrastructure and partnerships across British Columbia.
The award was presented during GET IT DONE B.C. 2026, a sold-out forum held at The Vancouver Club on the eve of the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention. The gathering brought together municipal, Indigenous, provincial, federal and industry leaders to discuss what British Columbia needs to turn economic opportunity into projects, investment and lasting community prosperity.
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About Resource Works
Resource Works is a Vancouver-based research and public engagement organization focused on the economic, environmental and social dimensions of responsible resource development in British Columbia and Canada.
Media Contact
Garth Jackson | [email protected] | 1.778.323.4811
