B.C. NEEDS TO RETHINK HOW IT USES ITS ‘TOOL KIT’
Pipeline games hurt everyone, including British Columbians, Laura Jones notes.
The B.C. government is playing a dangerous game by picking a fight with Alberta in the name of “using every tool in the tool kit” to block Kinder Morgan’s approved Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.
A key word worth repeating is approved. A smart millennial friend half-asked me yesterday: “the project was actually approved?” It was a good reminder that most people have lives that don’t involve following the complexities of big resource development projects.
Regardless of one’s personal views on the pipeline, it has been given a green light to proceed by the federal cabinet after an extremely robust process conducted by the National Energy Board.
The pipeline proponent went through four years of consultation and is meeting 157 federal conditions, as well as 37 additional provincial conditions. Many of these requirements were crafted to ensure the highest possible level of environmental protection.
For example, ships carrying heavy oil will be double-hulled (which would have prevented the Exxon-Valdez spill) and escorted in and out of the harbour by tugs. B.C.-trained pilots will be on board the ships. The proponent will give the province $1 billion over 20 years to put into environmental programs. The federal government is funding two supertugs (as part of its $500-million marine protection plan) that can get to any ship within a few hours with stateof-the-art equipment for quick containment in case of a spill.
The approval process was not fly-by-night. It was robust and thoughtful.
It was never going to make everyone happy; no decision on a major project ever does. Advocates for the Northern Gateway project, for example, were deeply disappointed when the federal government said “no” to that project the same day they said “yes” to Trans Mountain.
Now that the federal government has indeed said “yes,” the rule of law must be respected as it would be for other major decisions such as setting aside land for national parks. Failing to do so, either in practice or in spirit by creating additional delays and uncertainty, is destructive. For starters, it makes a mockery of government decision-making in Canada. It turns our robust process into some kind of kangaroo court that can’t be trusted and is open to being easily sidetracked by vocal opponents, whose main objective is decision by delay rather than decision by reasonable process.
This is clearly not in the best interests of B.C. or Canada. British Columbians want our government to use the tools in the kit to look out for the interests of the province. But do we really want those tools used to vandalize the fabric of the Canadian federation? Do we want our province so flagrantly flouting federal jurisdiction? Do we want to send a loud message to the international community that B.C. specifically, and Canada generally, isn’t worth the risk?
B.C.’s behaviour further polarizes environmental debates by undermining the idea that any kind of “social licence” or compromise is achievable. For a vocal minority, this may be a good outcome. However, most Canadians are in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s camp in believing economic growth, prosperity and jobs can go together with environmental protection.
The optimal number of big projects to say “yes” to is not zero.
In the short term, small-business wineries are most visibly caught in the crossfire as Alberta fights back. But there are many others — from welders to electricians — who have made business decisions based on the project’s approval. Should they be punished for believing the government will respect the law?
If B.C. does not find a way to walk things back, things will only get worse. Alberta politicians have suggested turning the existing oil pipeline on and off. This could create mayhem in the Lower Mainland. Like it or not, it’s because of the existing Trans Mountain that we can fill up our cars, transport goods to supermarkets and keep our airports running. It’s easy to see how tempting it could be for an agitated Alberta to say: If you want to stop the pipeline expansion then perhaps you can live without what comes out of the existing one. I suspect most British Columbians would not like this reality. Most would also not like the prospect of the oil coming by rail instead.
The inescapable conclusion here is that the B.C. government is playing a dangerous game. It’s time for them to put their tools down before they inflict damage that can’t be undone.