Kitimat station supported the transportation of both passengers and goods, as well as the provision of telegraph and radio communication services
April 29, 2024 Kitimat, British Columbia Parks Canada
Railway stations in Canada are recognizable landmarks that mean different things to different people. They are iconic structures that represent the links between people, communities, and opportunities. They are also tangible reminders of colonial expansion and the impacts infrastructure construction had on Indigenous communities and the environment. The designation of Heritage Railway Stations ensures their protection as a means of remembering the roles that they have played in our shared history.
Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced the designation of Kitimat station under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act. Designated heritage railway stations are protected from unauthorized alteration, sale, transfer, or disposal. Heritage railway stations are found in communities both large and small throughout Canada and represent important aspects of Canada's history.
In 1955, the Canadian National Railway (CNR) built its station in Kitimat at the request of Alcan in order to export aluminum ingots from its nearby smelter site, import materials, and transport workers and their families. Many newcomers to Canada from a variety of geographic and ethnic origins, including Portuguese, Italians, Hungarians, Greeks, Germans, and Scandinavians, used the railway line to access jobs and their new life in Kitimat. Although its passenger services ended in the spring of 1958, the station continued to serve as a telegraph office until the 1970s.
The building of the station and the Alcan smelting site significantly impacted local Indigenous communities. The hydroelectric dam built by Alcan on the Nechako River, flooded large areas of homelands, forests, farmlands, and recreational areas, forcing the Cheslatta T'en First Nation to leave their territory at very short notice with minimal compensation. Meanwhile, the approximately 200 Haisla people living near the proposed townsite at Kitimat were only minimally considered by Alcan planners and managers.
In addition to designating heritage railway stations, the Government of Canada, through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, recognizes significant persons, places, and events that have shaped our country as one way of helping Canadians connect with their past. By sharing these stories, we hope to foster understanding and reflection on the diverse histories, cultures, legacies, and realities of Canada's past and present.
