Many workers in Saskatchewan are keeping a close eye on the B.C. election because of its possible impact on Evraz’s lastest deal.
The deal depends on Kinder Morgan’s final investment decision but would see 250,000 metric tons of pipe come from Evraz’s plant in Regina.
However, the leader of B.C.’s NDP party, John Horgan, has been outspoken against the pipeline, causing concern that if he wins the tight race, the project could be in jeopardy.
Horgan’s concerns aren’t shared by his NDP counterparts in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
“It’s a great announcement, a project, a pipeline that we’ve advocated for and these are very important jobs,” Sask. Opposition Leader Trent Wotherspoon said.
Wotherspoon said his message to the B.C. NDP is simply that pipeline capacity is needed.
“We’ll always stand up for Saskatchewan’s interests and certainly getting our resource to tidewater is important,” he said.
With the B.C. election a week away, Mike Day, United Steel Workers Local 5890 spokesman, said his workers are watching the campaign intently.
“That’s the only thing that could really stand in the way of our jobs here, so it’s kind of leery to that, so one step at a time,” he said.
The Trans Mountain expansion project involves twining a pipeline that runs from Edmonton to Burnaby. It’s expected to cost $7.4 billion and produce 15,000 jobs a year during construction.