The City of Vancouver is leaving no doubt where it stands on the Kinder Morgan proposed pipeline expansion to the coast. Vancouver’s official Twitter account promotes a town hall next week, so residents can “have the chance to speak out against the pipeline expansion.”
“It really isn’t a surprise to us,” Janet Riopel of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce told 630 CHED’s Scott Johnston. “I think you’ve got to know there’s so much support across this country.”
The chamber had intervener status in the hearings, promoting growth, the economy and jobs. “When you look nationally you’re looking at a $5.4 billion project, right? It’s going to boost Canadian GDP by $22 and some billion. The economic impact is going to be about 50,000 jobs in B.C. and Alberta during construction.”
“Angus Reid did a poll in June of this year and it showed unquestionably that there’s significant support already for this project and growing support.”
Click on that tweet, and the thread that follows slams the city’s position. “When do people get to speak in favor of pipelines?” one response asks. “You fools think Canada runs on buttons?” asks another.
“I think that’s why Canadians and Albertans have stepped up and said ‘this is the right thing to do’ and I think we’re seeing a groundswell of support across the Country,” Riopel said.
“I think the City of Vancouver is just an island unto themselves in this voice at this point. There’s always a group of people that are going to oppose any particular project at any particular time.”
As for any suggestion that there could be some retaliation if Vancouver ever lobbies for some sort of project to help its economy, Riopel said, “I don’t have a sense of that.”
Ironically, the B.C. government has just given another pipeline to the north an environmental assessment certificate.