Who would trust the BC Government to regulate oil pipelines?

In 2017 the BC voters elected John Horgan and his NDP government to lead BC. In the run-up to that election, Mr. Horgan, then Leader of the Opposition, vowed “to use every tool in his toolbox” to oppose the Trans Mountain Pipeline Project (TMP). To date, he has and true to his word, is still doing so.

Now he, through his BC government lawyers, are asking a BC Court of Appeal for permission “allow the province to refuse to issue a permit or revoke one in cases where the operator fails to follow conditions imposed upon it”. 

One would surely think that our esteemed judicial system will see through the farce that this statement is, considering where it came from, and the stated intentions of how it could be used.

Simply put, if the courts grant his wish, all Premier John and his anti-fossil fuel Ministers will need to do is require, as part of their new permit conditions, any number of conditions that drive up costs and lengthen permitting timelines and the project is over.

One doesn’t need an imagination to understand what would happen if the government imposed conditions, such as to:

• require that project proponents post several billion dollars in bonds, and agree that they “must” pay any and all claims made in the event of any spills (no matter how small); and
• that project proponents must pay all costs associated with developing, operating and maintaining a “spill response teams” for any municipality or first nations that so requests; and
• that the provincial government be the adjudicator now how any claims money is spent.

Just a few simple permit conditions and Premier John would have used that last “tool from his tool-box”, and his dream would be accomplished.

As to the requirement that proponents have an option to take any of his permit requirements back through the courts to have them quashed? Get serious, look how long TMP has already taken from conception to, well, almost ready to begin construction.

A better idea is that the Courts stick with the status quo, which is governments, be they provincial, local of first nations already have the ability to propose permit conditions to the regulator and then regulator can decide if they are applicable or not.

If they decide in favour of Premier John, that will be the end of the TMP and any other oil pipelines and could be the end for any additional LNG projects, and the end of coal by rail through BC.

Simple put, we don’t need more reasons to go to court.

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