Premier David Eby says Alberta has committed to keeping B.C. updated on its progress on a pipeline proposal to the West Coast.
Eby sat down with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ottawa Wednesday.
It comes as provincial and territorial leaders are in Ottawa for two days of meetings.
Smith said ahead of the meeting the two provinces “don’t always agree on everything,” but said they have a lot of “common ground.”
The B.C.-Alberta relationship has been strained due to Smith’s push for a new pipeline and calls for the federal government to repeal an oil tanker ban on B.C.’s North Coast.
Eby has been highly critical of a new pipeline project and said repealing the oil tanker ban is a red line for coastal First Nations.
Those tensions came to a head in late November, when Alberta and Ottawa announced an agreement on a new pipeline that had largely been negotiated without B.C. at the table.
Alberta is set to submit an application to the federal Major Projects Office (MPO) to fast-track a pipeline by next July.
Eby said the three had a “good conversation.” He said he underlined for Smith the importance of engaging with First Nations throughout the process.
He reiterated that Alberta hasn’t identified a pipeline route or endpoint, and hasn’t secured a private proponent to build it.
“So they are at a very early stage in this project. They’ve committed to keep us updated as we move forward, and I certainly expect that,” said Eby.
While he and Smith may disagree about a pipeline, Eby said the two provinces have “an open line of communication.”
Eby stressed the importance of maintaining the oil tanker ban. A voluntary tanker exclusion zone had been in place in the area since 1985, and the federal government formalized the moratorium in 2019.
“A spill of bitumen will decimate the North Coast economy, causing billions of dollars in damage,” said Eby.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa Wednesday, Liberal MP Corey Hogan suggested other routes could be considered for the pipeline to avoid the contested area, saying “it’s a very big coast.”
Eby said he’d rather focus on shared priorities between the two provinces, pointing to the optimization of the Trans Mountain pipeline, electricity sharing and hydrogen projects.
Smith said in a social media post the meeting was “productive.” She said Alberta is committed to ensuring British Columbians benefit from a pipeline project and that there is “ongoing positive engagement” with First Nations.
The post Alberta promises to keep B.C. in the loop on pipeline proposal appeared first on AM 1150.
