EDITORIAL – Carney’s deal with Alberta on pipeline is a bad deal for B.C.
Oil tanker. (Image: Kinder Morgan photo)
An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.
THE ENVIRONMENT took another jab in the ribs today with the signing of a memorandum between the federal and Alberta governments setting the stage for a pipeline to the B.C. coast.
As a result, Prime Minister Mark Carney has proven he’s no friend of the environment. Right now he’s not looking like a friend of B.C., either.
Defenders of the deal will point out it’s not a contract. No permits have been issued. There is, as yet, no proponent, no one who wants to put up billions of dollars and risk massive over-runs in the fashion of the Trans Mountain project.
Point is, though, that there should never have been a deal in any form. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is of the belief that a new pipeline from land-locked Alberta through B.C. to the Pacific is in the national interest and B.C. should play ball.
But, fact is, if Alberta had the national interest in mind it would understand the sensitivity of B.C.’s coastline and that removal of the tanker ban will almost certainly result in an environmental catastrophe. It’s happened before.
Shame on Carney and Smith for not even involving B.C. in the discussions leading up to this terrible mistake of a document.
Yes, we’re in tough economic times right now, thanks to the Trump tariffs, and we’ve got to look for other markets and new ways to create jobs. But our environment is in tough times right now too. There are lots of ways to make money and we’ll find new ways of doing that, but once the environment is gone, so are we.
The only man who seems to understand that is Steven Guilbeault, the former culture minister and an environmental activist, who resigned from Carney’s cabinet today. As a matter of principle, he could not stand by and accept either Carney’s acceptance of Smith’s view of the world, or of his other anti-environment measures.
Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Webster Foundation Commentator of the Year finalist. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
I guess time will tell if a pipeline actually gets built. I am happy to see Guilbeault resign his cabinet position, an unreasonable grandstander if ever there was one, and an especially egregious holdover from the lost decade under Trudeau. I remain mystified as to why we have a tanker ban on the Pacific Coast, but not on the Atlantic coast. Is the Atlantic coast less sensitive than the Pacific coast? It seems like unequal treatment for BC, however there is nothing new about that with mostly Liberal, Laurentian Elite-controlled governments. The idea of a safe-passage corridor has been proposed, perhaps that has some merit. Tankers sail down the west coast to Lower 48 refineries pretty much daily as it is. Yes, quite a ways out to sea, but they are there regardless. Exxon Valdez was entirely avoidable and would likely have never happened had the Captain not been drunk on duty.
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It’s all political theatre. Full of sound and fury and signifying nothing.
Five years from now, they will still be waiting for private enterprise to fund this hypothetical venture.
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This reminds me of the old saying “if it looks too good to be true, it probably is”, and makes me wonder could the opposite be true?
This makes no sense to me now that Eby has said that he’d welcome an expansion of Trans Mt and he’s willing to dredge Vancouver Harbour to allow larger tankers into the Port of Vancouver. This expansion would be cheaper, faster and has no opposition, so why is there a push for a northern port?
I just can’t help but think this is all smoke and mirrors for something else, but what?
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It’s too bad his budget passed and I wonder if Elizabeth May regrets voting to support him. He’s shown his true colours; time for him to face defeat.
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Just like a parent giving the difficult child more attention in the hope they’ll behave better in future, it doesn’t work. No matter what Carney gives Alberta at BC’s expense, Alberta will keep complaining and threatening just like a spoiled, pampered child.
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