Left-wing B.C. critics vow to scuttle pipeline

The shift in British Columbia politics has made expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline more acrimonious, but it’s encouraging to hear our prime minister and the B.C. premier making the case for the project proceeding.

The venture, which will increase the volume of bitumen shipped from Alberta to the West Coast, has federal government approval, but that hasn’t stopped critics in B.C., promising to bog down construction.

The failure of Christy Clark’s Liberals to win a majority in the recent provincial election has emboldened critics of such essential wealth-building initiatives.

NDP Leader John Horgan and Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver, who appear poised to form government together, have vowed to “immediately employ every tool available to the new government to stop the expansion of the Kinder Morgan pipeline.”

Thankfully, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau supports of the expansion.

“The decision we took on the Trans Mountain pipeline was based on facts and evidence on what is in the best interests of Canadians and indeed, all of Canada,” Trudeau said Tuesday in Rome.

Trudeau’s plain-spoken confirmation of the $7.4-billion pipeline is commendable. Premier Rachel Notley was similarly pointed, insisting it makes little difference which party forms government in B.C. because such infrastructure is a federal responsibility. “The decision has been taken,” she said. There is a lingering impression among some on the West Coast that the Trans Mountain pipeline represents all risk and no benefit for that province. That’s not the case, of course. The existing pipeline has been operating with a spotless safety record since the 1950s. Increasing the pipeline’s capacity is expected to create the equivalent of 15,000 jobs a year during construction, followed by a further 37,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs per year, according to the company.

Kinder Morgan cites a Conference Board of Canada report that found $46.7 billion in government revenue will be generated during construction and over the 20 years of expanded operations.

“The province of B.C. can’t grow solely on the basis of escalating housing prices in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland,” said Notley. “They need stronger economic growth, and the reality is that in Interior B.C. they need the jobs this pipeline will provide.”

Canadians can’t count on West Coast politicians to see the benefits of expanded pipeline capacity. Canadians should, however, be able to rely on the prime minister to get the job done without an inordinate delay. — Postmedia News