Agreement between B.C. and Ottawa supports new pipeline

Maintaining north coast tanker ban...

The Carney government is pushing ahead with plans for a new pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast, laying more of the groundwork for the project.

While the full agreement hasn’t been released, some details came out Thursday ahead of an event with Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

A news conference with Smith, originally set for the morning, was postponed to 5 p.m. PST/8 p.m. ET. Smith signed a deal with Carney last fall, pledging to pave the way for a bitumen pipeline to the West Coast. B.C. Premier David Eby had voiced opposition, but the latest agreement appears to have eased some tensions.

According to Carney’s office, B.C. acknowledges the deal, which hinges on the Pathways Carbon Capture and Sequestration project and consultation with First Nations.

While B.C. doesn’t seek the project, it accepts its constitutional duties and will engage in routing and permitting discussions if certain reciprocal commitments are met. These include early and meaningful consultation with Indigenous groups, and an economic and revenue framework that will see B.C. receive annual royalty payments and benefit from an environmental liability and emergency response fund, along with federal investments in coastal spill response.

Ottawa will maintain its ban on oil tankers along B.C.’s northern coast. In return, B.C. will need to help optimize the project.