Prince Rupert mayor sides with Eby over Smith on Northern Gateway pipeline reboot
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OTTAWA — The mayor of northern British Columbia's busiest port city says he's following Premier David Eby's lead in taking a wait-and-see approach to rebooting the cancelled Northern Gateway Pipeline project.
Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond told the National Post on Friday that he's reserving judgment until he sees a new proposal on the table.
'I'm a little bit (more) with Premier Eby… Until there's a project and a proponent, we're not going to spend much time on it,' said Pond.
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The Province
11 hours ago
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Prince Rupert mayor sides with Eby over Smith on Northern Gateway pipeline reboot
'It's so hard to have a discussion about an imaginary project,' Mayor Herb Pond said British Columbia Premier David Eby, right, gifts a bottle of B.C. wine to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith while speaking to reporters at the Council of the Federation meetings in Halifax on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Photo by Darren Calabrese / The Canadian Press OTTAWA — The mayor of northern British Columbia's busiest port city says he's following Premier David Eby's lead in taking a wait-and-see approach to rebooting the cancelled Northern Gateway Pipeline project. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond told the National Post on Friday that he's reserving judgment until he sees a new proposal on the table. 'I'm a little bit (more) with Premier Eby… Until there's a project and a proponent, we're not going to spend much time on it,' said Pond. 'It's so hard to have a discussion about an imaginary project.' Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has pushed heavily for a revival of the shelved pipeline, which would have shipped up to 525,000 barrels of Alberta oil per day through nearby Kitimat, B.C., and ultimately to markets in the Asia-Pacific region via tanker. Smith has said that the revamped North Coast pipeline should end at the Port of Prince Rupert, citing its close proximity to potential buyers in markets like Japan and South Korea. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She's also said that shipping Alberta oil through northern B.C. is one of the best things Canada can do to reduce its economic dependency on top trading partner the United States. But Eby says that Smith is getting ahead of herself with no entity, public or private, coming forward yet to lead the project. 'There's no proponent, there's no money, there's no project right now,' Eby said this week during a trade visit Seoul, South Korea. Pond says he agrees with Smith that Prince Rupert is the most logical destination for a new pipeline carrying Alberta oil to the Pacific Ocean. 'If (technical dimensions) were the only thing you were scoring it on… Rupert would score the highest,' said Pond. 'Prince Rupert is a very deep natural harbour, doesn't need to be dredged (and) we're not moving through a congested traffic area (like) Vancouver.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But he added that a new oil pipeline wouldn't make or break Prince Rupert economically, and may not be worth the risk of an oil spill in the sensitive marine ecosystem. Pond said that, like Eby, he supports the federal moratorium on oil tanker traffic along B.C.'s northern coast. 'There are values around the Great Bear Rainforest and the environment on the North Coast being as pristine as it is,' said Pond. Residents of Kitimat voted against Northern Gateway by a margin of 58.4 per cent to 41.6 per cent in a non-binding 2014 plebiscite. The pipeline was killed in 2016 by then prime minister Justin Trudeau. Pond says he'd support any new oil pipeline project being put to the people of Prince Rupert in a similar manner. 'When you get to that place, a plebiscite may be one of the things that we want to consider in terms of gauging the community's voice,' said Pond. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Pond said earlier this week that B.C. 'owes' Alberta a fair hearing on the question of a new West Coast heavy oil pipeline. 'I think we owe it… to our neighbours, our fellow Canadians, to at least examine it very, very seriously.' National Post rmohamed@ Read More Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here. Vancouver Canucks Sports News Soccer Local News
Calgary Herald
18 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Prince Rupert mayor sides with Eby over Smith on Northern Gateway pipeline reboot
Article content OTTAWA — The mayor of northern British Columbia's busiest port city says he's following Premier David Eby's lead in taking a wait-and-see approach to rebooting the cancelled Northern Gateway Pipeline project. Article content Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond told the National Post on Friday that he's reserving judgment until he sees a new proposal on the table. Article content Article content 'I'm a little bit (more) with Premier Eby… Until there's a project and a proponent, we're not going to spend much time on it,' said Pond. Article content Article content 'It's so hard to have a discussion about an imaginary project.' Article content Article content Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has pushed heavily for a revival of the shelved pipeline, which would have shipped up to 525,000 barrels of Alberta oil per day through nearby Kitimat, B.C., and ultimately to markets in the Asia-Pacific region via tanker. Article content Smith has said that the revamped North Coast pipeline should end at the Port of Prince Rupert, citing its close proximity to potential buyers in markets like Japan and South Korea. Article content She's also said that shipping Alberta oil through northern B.C. is one of the best things Canada can do to reduce its economic dependency on top trading partner the United States. Article content But Eby says that Smith is getting ahead of herself with no entity, public or private, coming forward to lead the project. Article content 'There's no proponent, there's no money, there's no project right now,' Eby said this week during a trade visit Seoul, South Korea. Article content Article content Pond says he agrees with Smith that Prince Rupert is the most logical destination for a new pipeline carrying Alberta oil to the Pacific Ocean. Article content Article content 'If (technical dimensions) were the only thing you were scoring it on… Rupert would score the highest,' said Pond. Article content 'Prince Rupert is a very deep natural harbour, doesn't need to be dredged (and) we're not moving through a congested traffic area (like) Vancouver.' Article content But he added that a new oil pipeline wouldn't make or break Prince Rupert economically, and may not be worth the risk of an oil spill in the sensitive marine ecosystem.
