Majority in B.C. supports pipeline

Dear Editor: The B.C. Wine Institute is talking about taking legal action against Alberta’s unsurprising retaliatory move to terminate provincial purchases of B.C. wine, perhaps using dispute mechanisms through the Canadian Free Trade Agreement. Sounds like a long and complex process. Instead, why not directly try to crush John Horgan’s Canada-busting delay tactics around the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion?

There are strong factors supporting the view that Horgan is out of line – a four-year National Energy Review Board regulatory process where all those in opposition were free to make their case, and a federal government decision that the expansion was in Canada’s best interest. Those of us who remain proud Canadian nationalists recognize that it has been the federal government’s exclusive domain over interprovincial transportation that has helped build and sustain our remarkable country.

The courts have repeatedly held that pipelines are a mode of transportation. And although Andrew Weaver refers to the West Coast as “our coastal waters,” B.C.’s jurisdiction is only out to the low water tide level, and the next 12 miles are the exclusive purview of the federal government. (Note to Mr. Weaver – having three of 87 seats in the Legislature does not constitute a majority).

The Alberta wine decision will hurt B.C.’s economy — and there may be more reactive measures to come from our eastern neighbours. My guess is many Okanagan hotels and restaurants are a tad nervous about what kind of traffic they’ll see from their Alberta clientele this summer.

The unfortunate irony is that the hardest hit in B.C. will be those of us in the Okanagan where the majority of citizens do not share in the Horgan/Weaver pipeline paranoia. Last week’s West Kelowna byelection saw Canadian freetrade advocate Ben Stewart win 56 per cent of the popular vote with the combined NDP/Green vote falling about three per cent from last May’s provincial election.

Across the province there is the result of the Angus Reid poll last September (before it became clear that Alberta can harm B.C.’s economy) which showed that 47 per cent were in favour of the pipeline expansion against 33 per cent in opposition.

The government of Alberta recently launched an online petition asking for Canadians to tell Horgan to end his delay tactics. I happily signed the petition. But I think it would be a lot more impactful if Horgan was handed the results of a madein-B,C, petition. So you folks over there at the B.C. Wine Institute – get the process rolling and I will be your first petitioner.

Tim Simard West Kelowna