West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky MP Pam Goldsmith-Jones has been speaking to mayors throughout the riding in the wake of Tuesday’s decision to approve Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, she told Coast Reporter Wednesday.
The pipeline approval was one of four decisions announced by the federal government this week, and Goldsmith-Jones said she’s heard mixed reaction.
“It’s excellent news to see a tanker ban on the north coast of B.C. that is legislated … I think quashing the Enbridge application is also very good news for the people of British Columbia, and the replacement of an existing pipeline [Line 3] is good because it was getting old and it needed to be upgraded,” Goldsmith-Jones said.
“The thing that is obviously controversial is the approval for Kinder Morgan’s [Trans Mountain expansion], but you saw in the prime minister’s comments how hard B.C. MPs pushed because of how important marine safety is, and the health of the ocean.”
The Trans Mountain expansion will triple the amount of bitumen destined for the Westridge terminal and increase five-fold the number of Aframax tankers departing from Burrard Inlet.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement Tuesday the deeply controversial pipeline project was safe, necessary for creating middle-class jobs and ensuring Canada is economically strong enough to transition to a carbon-free economy.
Goldsmith-Jones added that she’s confident B.C.’s voice was heard on the need for adequate safeguards. “They have to be strong enough, and we have time to put those in place long before any additional tanker is going to be in those waters … There’s no question that everybody on all sides of this issue puts marine safety and the health of our oceans above all, whether you’re for or against this pipeline. That’s the job that we have ahead of us, and we take it very seriously.”
– With files from North Shore News
