ALEX McCUAIG
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After a decade of sitting idle, the city's Methanex plant is now running full stream ahead in supplying methanol across Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
Plant workers, executives and politicians celebrated Friday the culmination of their work to get the site up and running while giving the local economy a kickstart.
The key factor in seeing the plant reopen? "The changing environment surrounding gas," said plant manger Brian Ropitini.
Put another way, while the cheap supply of natural gas has seen some companies leave the city, it's been the main reason for the return of the Canadian company with a global reach along with its jobs.
"Most people probably don't realize most items in your household contain methanol," said Ropitini.
"Plasma TVs, plastics, glues, paints, adhesives — just about everything that we touch and see in our household, methanol has been part of the process in making it."
With annual methanol production pegged at 470,000 tons, Medicine Hat's plant is somewhat smaller than Methanex's operations in Egypt, Chile, New Zealand and West Indies. But Ropitini said it's a key component for the company's worldwide network of production facilities.
The local plant currently employs 90 individuals with plans to hire 20 more to work alongside dozens of contractors on a daily basis.
Kevin Henderson, VP of global manufacturing, said two factors will come into play in ensuring Methanex will have a home in the city for years to come.
"Our product is based on the cost of natural gas and the price of methanol," he said.
"Our view is that there will be an abundant supply (of gas) in North America for 10 plus years and methanol demand will remain strong."
Medicine Hat MP LaVar Payne is no stranger to the plant's operation, having worked at it from 1974 to 2001 and throughout its three ownership structures.
Despite having moved on to representing southeastern Albertans in Ottawa, he said there's nothing like coming back to the business that brought him to the city in the first place.
"A lot of people I worked with are back here," said Payne.
"The company is excellent, they pay their employees well, good benefits and they treat them with respect."
He said the company has had its up and downs over the past four decades, particularly when the plant shut its doors in 2001.
"I was one of the employees that went off," said Payne.
"I'm just so delighted to see it back in operation."