Ottawa loses key Trans Mountain court case, but pushes ahead with pipeline
VANCOUVER — A court has overturned Ottawa’s approval of the contentious Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, halting construction on the project and sending the government back to the review phase to examine the impacts of tanker traffic and consult more deeply with First Nations.
The decision from the Federal Court of Appeal came on the same day that Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd. shareholders voted 99 per cent in favour of selling the pipeline and expansion project to the Canadian government for $4.5 billion, not including construction costs that could be as high as $9.3 billion.
Finance Minister Bill Morneau pledged to push ahead with his government’s purchase and said the decisions from the court and Kinder Morgan shareholders are important steps in getting the project from Alberta to the B.C. coast built in “the right way for the benefit of all Canadians.”
“Our government remains committed to ensuring the project proceeds in a manner that protects the public interest,” he said in Toronto.