Pipeline work suspended to protect hummingbird nests

CALGARY — The Canadian government has ordered Trans Mountain Corp. to halt work on a section of its oil pipeline expansion project in Burnaby, British Columbia, for four months to protect hummingbird nests, a government spokeswoman said on Monday.

The $12.6-billion Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) project will nearly triple capacity of the pipeline, which runs from Edmonton to the B.C. coast, to ship 890,000 barrels per day of crude and refined products when it is completed late 2022.

Trans Mountain said the order applies to a onekilometre stretch along its pipeline right-of-way and work continues on all other areas of the 1,150-kilometre route. There has been no change to the expected in-service date.

An Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) enforcement officer visited the site in a Burnaby forest twice this month after complaints about construction activity affecting nests including those of a species known as Anna’s hummingbird, which are migratory birds protected under Canadian law.

Migratory birds are particularly vulnerable during nesting season. ECCC issued a written order on April 16 to halt any activity including tree felling with heavy machinery on the site. The order lasts until Aug. 20 when nesting season ends.

“Cutting vegetation and trees or carrying out other disruptive activities such as bulldozing or using chainsaws and heavy machinery in the vicinity of active nests will likely result in disturbance or destruction of those nests,” ECCC spokeswoman Samantha Bayard said in a statement.