As Alberta’s government signs an agreement aimed at cutting red tape for oilfield rigs, it asks Ottawa to clear the path for a cross-country pipeline since B.C. opposes the idea. “That’s where the federal government really needs to step up because no province can block another province’s access to tidewater to markets,” said Devin Dreeshen, Alberta’s transportation and economic corridors minister. With the prime minister promising to fast-track projects of national interest, Alberta’s premier is eyeing a potential route. “We’ve got to work with where we think we’ll have the most success, and where I think we’ll have the most success right now is working on a corridor between Hudson Bay and the port of Prince Rupert,” Premier Danielle Smith said. But B.C. says that doesn’t make sense to them. “This would be a colossally expensive and not economic proposal. It’s a political proposal, and fair enough, but we have a different view,” said Adrian Dix, B.C.’s energy and climate solutions minister. The federal government has stepped in before on pipeline projects, buying the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion after Kinder Morgan, the original company in charge of the project, killed it. Ottawa’s decision has left taxpayers on the hook for the nearly $34-billion project. Alberta has not yet named any potential projects. “We’re currently trying to make sure that we can send those signals to industry, that they can invest in new pipelines in Canada,” Dreeshen said. Energy experts say one of the biggest barriers is securing investors. “We see this right now, for example, with LNG Canada on the west coast; we’re not waiting for regulatory approval, we’re waiting for the investors to say yes, and we’ve been waiting for the investors to say yes for a number of years now,” said Andrew Leach, University of Alberta energy economist. Some economists point to other ideas to improve Canada’s economy and sovereignty, including high-speed rail or an east-west power grid. “One that’s much more likely to get the consent of First Nations, one that meets our long-term energy needs rather than short-term political positioning,” said Marc Lee, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives senior economist. In 2019, Ottawa approved twinning of the Trans Mountain Pipeline despite opposition from B.C.’s government and First Nations.
