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British Columbia Premier David Eby said Wednesday that if he has failed to clearly condemn Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s push for a new bitumen pipeline to B.C.’s north coast, it’s only because he was being polite.
“When I said ‘Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it, we’ll see what the premier comes up with,’ I’m being polite,” Eby said. “Don’t mistake my politeness for weakness on protecting our economy and our coast.”
Eby made the comments the same day Smith announced Alberta is spending $14 million to develop and submit an application for a pipeline to the federal Major Projects Office that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has created to accelerate projects deemed in the national interest.
The pipeline companies Enbridge, South Bow and Trans Mountain are part of a technical advisory group on the proposed project, but Alberta itself would act as the proponent.
There is no project, Eby said in response to questions from reporters.
“There is no bridge to cross, unless the Albertan government and the federal Canadian government are committing billions of taxpayer dollars to build this project. If that is the plan, they should be transparent about it.”
Eby said Smith had called to give him advance notice of Alberta’s announcement. “I asked two very straightforward questions,” he said. “Is there a private company advancing this proposal? The answer is no. Is there any private money advancing this proposal? The answer is no.”
Smith’s answers indicate the proposal should not be treated the same as the real private sector projects that B.C. is advancing, he said.
“The fact that there is not a private proponent despite obviously huge willingness on the part of Alberta to subsidize this using tax dollars should tell you everything you need to know about the reality of this project, which is that it is not a real project.”
Alberta’s proposed pipeline is a threat both to B.C.’s coast and to support from First Nations for projects B.C. is pursuing, Eby said.
He called the proposal “incredibly alarming to British Columbians, including First Nations along the coast, whose support is required for the success of the billions of dollars in real projects that I’m talking about.”
Aside from exposing Albertan and Canadian taxpayers to financial risk, Eby said, a pipeline to the north coast would require lifting the federal restrictions on oil tankers in the region.
“That tanker ban is in place; it’s foundational for British Columbians who value our coast,” Eby said. “It is foundational for First Nations whose consent we have sought and obtained for literally tens of billions of dollars of major projects that are real, that are not taxpayer-funded, that will drive forward the B.C. and the Canadian economy for years to come.”
The B.C. government has supported that tanker ban because it protects the environment and is key to getting major projects done in the province, he said.
“To put that tanker ban at threat, it’s not just a threat to our pristine coast that so many British Columbians including myself value, but it is a direct economic threat to the kind of economy that we’re trying to build in the country here.” ![[Tyee]](/design-article.thetyee.ca/ui/img/yellowblob.png){kind=small}
Read more: Energy, Alberta, BC Politics
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