Moe keeps heat on PM over pipeline

Province may seek intervener status as B.C. takes case to court

REGINA British Columbia is asking a court to decide if it has the power to restrict the flow of heavy crude to the Pacific coast, prompting Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe to once again call on the federal government to step in.

According to B.C. Attorney General David Eby, the province is seeking “to confirm the scope and extent of provincial powers to regulate environmental and economic risks related to heavy oils like diluted bitumen.”

At issue is the province’s continued opposition to Kinder Morgan’s $7.4-billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. The company stopped all non-essential work on the project, and is threatening to stop funding it all together, unless political roadblocks a re dealt with.

Moe told reporters Thursday, “We’ll be having a look if they (B.C.) do pose a reference question, as to whether or not Saskatchewan would intervene and how we would intervene if we chose to do so.”

He repeated a call for the federal government to use “every tool available to them” to get construction of the pipeline underway and accused B.C. of doing what it can to slow the project down.

Rather than restricting infrastructure funding, as Moe would prefer, the federal government responded Thursday to B.C.’s opposition by proposing a joint Ottawa-B.C. panel of scientists aimed at enhancing research on oil spills.

Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna released a letter saying steps have been taken to mitigate damages in the event of an oil spill and expressed a willingness to further address some concerns of the B.C. government.

Moe questioned why the federal government is “hesitant” to restrict infrastructure funding to B.C., pointing out Ottawa is refusing to give his province roughly $64 million in funding unless Saskatchewan agrees to put a carbon tax in place.

Thursday’s developments are the latest in an ongoing feud involving the federal government and western provinces.

Alberta and Saskatchewan are in the midst of passing laws to restrict the flow of oil to B.C., in an effort to convince the province to end its Trans Mountain opposition.

But Moe said the dialogue between provinces continues, telling reporters he spoke with B.C. Premier John Horgan and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley this week.

He characterized those calls as “good” as well as “frank and informative,” and mentioned all three provinces have to work together.

On Wednesday, Saskatchewan announced it was going to court to find out if the federal government’s law to impose a carbon tax on the province is constitutional.

At issue there is whether or not the federal government can impose a carbon tax on the province, something it has vowed to do if Saskatchewan does not put a price on carbon itself.