The Watch
LATITUDE
CANADIAN TAXPAYERS BUY A PIPELINE, BUT TRANS MOUNTAIN PROJECT STILL NOT FINALIZED
Since Kinder Morgan's 2013 application to the National Energy Board, the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion has faced growing unpopularity, most of it originating beyond the borders of Alberta. Citizens’ groups, indigenous and other communities, politics, and at least one election—all of these have seemed to widen divides, despite national, legally binding approval. In April, Kinder Morgan said it would cut the project loose by May 31 if an impasse between political supporters (the governments of Alberta and Canada) and the Government of B.C. had not been removed. The lead-up to May 31 was tense. Alberta passed legislation that would allow it to cut off the flow of oil to its next-door neighbour, creating worries about retail spikes at B.C. gas pumps. The Government of B.C. threatened to sue over the turn-off-the-taps legislation, indicating it would apply for an injunction and seek damages if Alberta followed through. Days later, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley stayed away from the Western Premiers’ Conference in Yellowknife and, because it didn’t include a statement of shared support for Trans Mountain, did not sign a post-meeting communique. LINKS ALBERTA Create More Firebreaks in Cities Next Chapter Coming Soon for Edmonton’s Downtown Library Samson Wastewater System Gets Federal Funding Shuttered Calgary Neighbourhood Re-Opens Downtown Hotel Launches Calgary Rising Infrastructure Projects in Alberta Get $3.3 Billion in Federal Funding New Mall—Edmonton New Mall—Calgary
A CONTENTIOUS LINE ON THE MAP The Trans Mountain pipeline carries oil 1,150 kilometres from Ed- monton to the B.C. coast along this route. Expanding its capacity has proven to be anything but fast and simple. Just two days before the Kinder Morgan-imposed deadline, the Government of Canada swooped in to save the project, purchasing it and the original pipeline for $4.5 billion. The intention is to sell it to a private interest. Premier Notley has indicated that construction will resume this summer, but not everything is settled. B.C. continues to pursue court challenges, and the federal government has not, at the time of this writing, found a buyer for the pipeline. CANADA Taxpayers Buy a Pipeline Smart Grid Project Gets Research Boost Aecon Remains Canadian-Owned U.S. Announces Tariffs on Canadian Metal Fund to Help Communities Withstand Natural Disasters WORLD Scientists Seek DNA From Loch Ness Printed Autonomous Boats to Maximize River Use Different Types of Volcano—Kilauea Different Types of Volcano—Volcan de Fuego Robots Build a Really, Really Tiny Home Unmanned Subs Might Find Shackleton Wreck
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60 | PEG SUMMER 2018
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