Trans Mountain pipeline overhaul is doomed to failure: Vancouver's elected mayor

The new mayor of Vancouver said that a further review of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion by the National Energy Board would likely be doomed to failure and that it would not be safe for anyone. he would bring the federal government back to a hearing room.

The Energy Board is studying the impacts of the project on the marine environment and Kennedy Stewart said he was in too much of a hurry, including a week-long window for Aboriginal groups and others to ask participate.

"I think the revised NEB process we are following is likely to fail again. I do not think giving a first nation a week to submit to a whole new process of reconciliation is enough time and it will be challenged in court again and for good reason, "he said at An interview.

"I could see the blockage of it as the Mackenzie Valley pipeline for many, many years," he added, referring to a natural gas pipeline project in the Northwest Territories that has been blocked since then. decades.

Stewart, a former NDP MP for Burnaby South, was part of a group of protesters who were arrested in March while blocking Trans Mountain's main entrance, violating a court order to stay five meters from the police. building sites of the company. He pleaded guilty to contempt of court and paid a $ 500 fine.

After winning the Vancouver mayoral race with less than 1,000 votes, he will be sworn in on Monday.

His opinion on the expansion of the pipeline has not changed, he said, and he will continue to support the city's practice of supporting local Aboriginal groups in their legal proceedings by asking to be a stakeholder.

The Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish Nations have traditional territories in the Vancouver area, and both said the new process repeated the same mistakes and laid the groundwork for a new legal challenge.

The Federal Court of Appeal quashed the project's approval by the federal government in August because of inadequate consultation with Aboriginal people and the fact that the Energy Board had not considered impacts on the marine environment .

The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who purchased the existing Trans Mountain Line and the $ 4.5-billion expansion project, commissioned the Energy Board to address the impacts of the marine environment and submit a report on February 22.

Energy Board spokesperson James Stevenson declined to comment on Stewart's remarks, but has already indicated that the revised review will consist of a full scientific and technical review of marine navigation related to the project.

Stewart said Trudeau was the one who mentioned Trans Mountain at its first meeting Thursday since Stewart's election victory.

"I said," First of all, it's a strange year. I was arrested, then resigned from my position as a Member of Parliament and I am now Mayor in about six months. But my position in this regard was clear. I am still very opposed to this pipeline, "he said.

"However, I understand that my role has changed. Perhaps where my mandate as a member of Parliament in Burnaby was to stop the pipeline as a top priority, voters in that city said that your priority was to fix our housing problem. "

The expansion of the pipeline would triple the amount of oil transported from the Edmonton area to a shipping terminal in Burnaby, which would increase the number of tankers in the waters of Metro Vancouver by seven.

Stewart also said he told Trudeau that if the city took action against the project, he would call first to inform him.

Trudeau and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said the project was in the national interest because Alberta had to move its oil to markets outside the United States, where it could reach higher prices , especially in Asia.

But Stewart said it was ridiculous for Canada to export oil to the west while importing into the east. The country should have a national energy strategy that involves refining products in Canada, especially in the east of the country, he said.

"What ultimately would be best is to ship oil from Alberta to the east, to ensure that existing or new refineries are guaranteed supply so that Canadians use Canadian oil." , did he declare.

Trudeau spoke at the Metro Vancouver Chamber of Commerce before meeting with Stewart on Thursday. The prime minister said the court's decision set a roadmap for his government to continue the project.

After meeting with Stewart, Trudeau stated that they had agreed to prioritize housing and infrastructure while diverging on the expansion of the pipeline.

"Obviously, there are problems, like the TMX, that we do not agree with, but we also have a lot of things we need to work on together."