On Monday, the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade announced it wanted to send nearly 100 representatives to voice their support.
B.C. business, Indigenous and labour leaders will be flying to Alberta to show that not all British Columbians oppose the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
“The silent majority can be silent no more,” said Iain Black, president and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. “And we believe we’ve reached that point on this particular project.”
The controversial project has resulted in a months-long battle between B.C. and Alberta that have taken the issue to court, where Premier John Horgan hopes the issue will be resolved.
Kinder Morgan gave the federal government until May 31 to reach an agreement, claiming the project has already cost them over $1 billion.
Black explained said the responsible extraction of natural resources is “incredibly important” for Canada, which is why the board wanted to show its support.
“We are very much out of the belief that we are ‘one country, not 13,’” he said. “We wanted to really express our support for positive relationships amongst all provinces in Canada using the Trans Mountain expansion project as its catalyst.”
WATCH: New poll on Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion
An Ipsos poll in May showed growing support for the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline project.
The poll showed that 55 per cent of British Columbians supported the project, while 37 per cent opposed.
“We have a very long and proud history in this country of encouraging and frankly supporting people and organizations who disagree with a given decision — it’s a long-standing thing in British Columbia,” Black said.
Comments