Western premiers discuss pipelines.
Premiers onside for pipeline projects
WINNIPEG — When Alison Redford meets with her fellow western premiers Monday, she’ll be among friends when it comes to pipeline projects aimed at shipping Alberta’s oilsands to Eastern Canada.
Redford will attend the Western Premiers’ Conference fresh from a one-on-one meeting with British Columbia Premier Christy Clark on Friday.
That meeting was aimed at mending fences, but the two provinces remain far apart over the proposed Northern Gateway oil pipeline and plans to expand the existing TransMountain line to the Pacific Coast.
But proposals to reverse and expand existing pipelines to ship bitumen to Quebec and New Brunswick have the backing of both Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
In an interview Sunday, Redford said she’s glad to have the other provinces onside.
“We’ll probably reaffirm the fact that we’re supportive of the project,” she said.
Redford said Alberta is also interested in working with Manitoba as it advocates for greater electrical links between provinces to take advantage of its cheap, environmentally friendly hydro power.
Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger said in an interview Friday that he expects the westto-east pipeline to come up as part of a “broader discussion about energy” that will also encompass a conversation about an east-west electrical transmission grid.
“There’s interest in moving oil to Eastern Canada to reduce dependency on foreign imports in that part of the country. Energy security is a topic I think we all broadly support,” said the NDP premier.
“It just makes sense to me to not be reliant on Venezuelan oil in Eastern Canada. I think that creates risk to their economies that could be mitigated very dramatically by having more east-west flow of oil from Western Canada.”
TransCanada’s proposed Energy East project would involve the conversion of an existing natural gas pipeline hooking Western Canada to Quebec, and its possible extension to New Brunswick.
Enbridge also plans to reverse its Line 9 to bring western crude to Montreal.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, a strong backer of pipeline projects, said an east-flowing pipeline is more important to his province than the proposed Keystone XL line from northern Alberta to the United States because it would move Saskatchewan crude.
In an interview, Wall said the projects would help gain new market access for Saskatchewan and Alberta by getting their oil to tidewater — and it makes economic sense for Canada as a whole.
“We should be aspirants to being an energy power. In order to do that, you need to move energy across the country,” said Wall, noting the concerns of other provinces need to be addressed.
The west-to-east proposals have been strongly backed by New Brunswick, where Redford recently met with Premier David Alward. Selinger thinks there is “general support” from Ontario and Quebec because of the “logic” of the idea.
Redford has pushed for a Canadian Energy Strategy that would see provinces work together to develop their resources and new markets.
All provinces, except B.C., have signed on to look at the idea, with Selinger co-chairing a Council of the Federation committee with Redford and Newfoundland and Labrador’s Kathy Dunderdale.
Clark refused to take part in exploring the pan-Canadian strategy last year while her province’s dispute with Alber ta and Ottawa simmered.
While the two provinces are now making nice, Redford said she didn’t raise the issue on Friday of B.C. joining up.