Smith calls for industrial corridor.
Smith sees band from Ontario to Pacific
Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith says the solution to Alberta’s energy market access problems is a single, dedicated industrial corridor that would start in Northern Ontario, cross the northern Prairies and end at the West Coast.
In a speech to a Vancouver business crowd Thursday, Smith said the time has come for a national discussion on a market access strategy that considers a single, multi-use transportation, utility and commercial corridor, where industry would not only be permitted, but encouraged.
“Rather than have industry come up with a multitude of ideas, proposals and routes that would ultimately wind up in a series of endless hearings, politicians would take the lead and settle as many issues as possible in advance,” Smith told the $89 per plate luncheon organized by Vancouver-based Curious Mind Productions, which has previously hosted such highprofile speakers such as U.S. politician Ron Paul and journalist Rex Murphy.
The corridor would cut through northwestern Canada, from Northern Ontario through Manitoba to the West Coast. One dedicated route would eliminate the need for separate regulatory process for each new proposed project, provided the corridor is wide enough, said Smith, proposing a kilometre-wide corridor.
“There’s been a new kind of grassroots activism that is making it nearly impossible to get through the regulatory process,” Smith said in an interview following her speech. “However, what I’ve also seen is that those projects that are proposed on existing rights of way seem to have a much easier time (and) greater public acceptance. If it’s this hard to get these projects approved now, imagine how hard it’s going to be decades from now.”
Smith, who told the audience she plans on becoming Alberta’s premier, acknowledged the plan would be complicated. If past project proposals are any indication, the idea would face widespread opposition from environmentalists and First Nations communities.
The federal government is due next week to deliver its final decision on Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline, which would ship bitumen from Alberta’s oilsands to Kitimat, B.C. The controversial $6.5-billion project, given a conditional go-ahead by the National Energy Board’s joint review panel in December, has been fraught with delays and massive resistance in B.C., especially among coastal First Nations worried about the harmful effects of a spill.
“For two adjacent provinces in the same country that are for the most part in the same business — primary resource development — the divergence of views between our two provinces is striking,” Smith told the audience.
The B.C. Liberal government remains opposed to the Northern Gateway project and has set out five conditions for the approval of an oil pipeline through its jurisdiction. One of those conditions — that B.C. receive its “fair share” of economic benefits, triggered a famously frosty relationship between then-premier Alison Redford and B.C. Premier Christy Clark.
The relationship improved and last fall both signed off on an interprovincial working group report, putting forward 20 recommendations to pave the way for an enhanced energy partnership between the two provinces.
The deal also saw B.C. sign on to Redford’s Canadian Energy Strategy, which, while short on details, had been described as an attempt to get the provinces working together to develop resources and access new markets.
Energy Minister Diana McQueen said Alberta has long been working with the provinces and federal government on a national strategy.
“It’s nice to see the Wildrose is finally showing up to the game, but we’ve been doing a lot of work on this and … are making very good headway on these projects,” McQueen said in an interview.
A solution for the country’s market access needs won’t be “one size fits all,” she said.
“It’s a lot of work that we’ve been continuing to do and we’re starting to make very good headway with regards to how we as provinces and territories showcase Canada as a global energy supplier and support each other.”
Smith noted her idea for a single corridor would require leadership from federal government to negotiate with First Nations communities that may have land claims over a potential route.
“The federal government would almost certainly have to do the heavy lifting because the bulk of the negotiations would have to involve agreement and buy in from our First Nations as a starting point,” she said.
“It would deal with river crossings and protecting environmentally sensitive habitat. It would not be for the faint of heart or weak in spirit.”
Any potential route would fall in areas least likely to evoke opposition, Smith added.
“Nobody lives there? Perfect. That’s where it will go,” she said. “And once it exists and is clearly defined, people who don’t want anything industrial occurring in their neighbourhood ... would know where not to live. Or if they want a good paying job, they would know exactly where to move.”