Greater Montreal mayors say nay

Montreal-area municipal leaders are rejecting TransCanada Corp.' s controversial proposed Energy East pipeline, saying its economic benefits are paltry when compared with the possible costs of an oil cleanup.

The Montreal Metropolitan Community, which represents 82 jurisdictions, said Thursday it opposes the project and will defend that position at Quebec environmental impact and National Energy Board hearings.

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, the current president of the organization, said the decision was unanimous and that the environmental risks far outweigh any economic benefits for the region.

The announcement prompted a sharp political rebuke from the Opposition in Alberta.

“You can’t dump raw sewage, accept foreign tankers, benefit from equalization and then reject our pipelines,” Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said on Twitter.

The proposed pipeline would take Alberta crude as far east as an Irving Oil refinery in Saint John, N. B ., and would be capable of carrying up to 1.1 million barrels a day from the West to the East.

The project would include existing TransCanada pipeline as far east as Montreal, plus new pipeline to be constructed through Quebec.

The pipeline is unpopular in Quebec and the provincial government has said it wants the province to serve as more than just a passageway for TransCanada.

Greenpeace applauded Coderre’s announcement, saying it should send a signal to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reject the project.