Alberta and B.C.; jobs and the environment

THURSDAY MORNING EDITORIAL — Nothing demonstrates better the old jobs vs. the environment conundrum than the Angus Reid Global poll released Wednesday on the Northern Gateway pipeline.

The Harper government conditionally approved the pipeline Tuesday, setting off a public battle between those who see it as an economic blessing and those who believe it’s too big an environmental risk to consider.

When NDP MP Nathan Cullen was in Kamloops not quite a month ago, he said Enbridge itself estimates there’s a nine- to 14 per cent chance of a major spill on the B.C. Coast. Cullen and others, however, say it’s not a question of if, just when, given the pipeline route over 1,100 lakes and rivers and the shipping path through narrow coastal waters.

The ARG poll reflects that concern in B.C., where 40 per cent see the decision as wrong, and 38 per cent see it as right. Yet, in Alberta, reaction to the pipeline announcement was positive. There, only 18 per cent believe the decision to be wrong, and 58 per cent believe it was the right one.

The reasons for this discrepancy don’t require another public opinion poll to answer. Alberta is home to the oil patch. Much of the province’s economy is built on oil. A pipeline that takes Alberta oil to the B.C. coast and overseas means more jobs and more wealth.

British Columbians, on the other, look at the map of the pipeline route and see that most of it traverses Super Natural B.C., not Alberta. The natural beauty of this province is its greatest asset. They understand the lay of the land, and know about environmental threats.

Jobs and economic development, or the environment? Sometimes, it’s possible to have both. This time, it’s by no means certain, and the different attitudes in the two provinces are an indication of the challenges with this project.