B.C. could be forced to accept the construction of another route from the oilsands to Asian markets, starting in 2027
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B.C. is crying foul after Ottawa signed a second agreement on energy with Alberta that lowers the amount companies in the oil-producing province have to pay for emissions and takes another step toward the construction of a new oil pipeline to the west coast.
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“As a country, it’s time to stop rewarding bad behaviour,” said Premier David Eby after Friday’s agreement, calling out Alberta’s separatist movement that is supported by up to 50 per cent of the members of the province’s ruling United Conservative Party, according to some polls.
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“It cannot be the case that the projects that get prioritized in Canada are those where a premier threatens to leave the country.”
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In November, Eby opposed the first agreement between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith that included language in support of one or more pipelines to the B.C. Coast in exchange for oilsands producers installing carbon-capture technology.
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Friday’s agreement sets a July 1 deadline for Alberta to submit a pipeline proposal to Ottawa’s major projects office, with Carney promising to provide the necessary conditions for construction by Sept. 1, 2027.
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But the deal lowers the progression of Alberta’s industrial carbon price to $130 a tonne by 2040. All other provinces face their carbon price rising to $170 a tonne by then.
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Smith has repeatedly spoken about her desire to revive the Northern Gateway pipeline proposal through Northern B.C. that is opposed by the Coastal First Nations, an alliance of nine First Nations in northwest B.C. including the Haida and Gitxaała.
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In recent weeks she has seemed lukewarm about the possibility of a southern route, potentially to the Burrard Inlet or Delta, that has been floated by the federal government and that B.C. seems more open to.
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“We’re getting very close to the July 1 deadline for submitting a pipeline proposal, so we’ve got a pretty good idea right now about what the most economic routes are,” said Smith.
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“When you know that route, then you’re able to identify the bands that are going to be most impacted, and so we’ll be working with them one-on-one to let them know what the economic benefits might be, what the equity ownership might look like, based on some of the experience that we’ve had.”
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There remains no private proponent or defined route for the pipeline project, however, something that Eby referred to in his response to the announcement by Alberta and the federal government.
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He said Ottawa should be concentrating on some B.C. projects that are ready to go.
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“Here in B.C., we have what the rest of the world is looking for: critical minerals, natural resources, and port access. We have shovel-ready projects with real proponents, and investments that will provide good-paying jobs and funding for public services,” said Eby.
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“The federal government must work as closely with us on these projects as they work with the government of Alberta on Premier Smith’s proposed pipeline — a project that has yet to identify a proponent or a route.”
