By The Canadian Press

Alberta “will hold Ottawa’s feet to fire” on Trans Mountain Pipeline: Notley

Sep 21, 2018 | 3:27 PM

EDMONTON — Premier Rachel Notley says a 22-week deadline to review marine safety on the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion is reasonable.

But she says if that deadline slips due to legal game-playing, her government will take action to hold Ottawa’s feet to the fire.

She won’t say what those measures would be.

But Alberta has passed legislation giving it the power to intervene in the oil sector and cut shipments to other jurisdictions in Canada.

The marine safety review is one of two tasks the federal government must undertake to get Trans Mountain back on track.

The other is proper consultation with First Nations affected by the project, which would triple oil flows from Alberta to B-C on the existing line.

Notley says the First Nations issue is governed by the Constitution and must be given due process.

She says imposing artificial deadlines on those talks would undermine the process and open it up to renewed legal challenges.

Alberta has pulled out of the national climate plan until work on Trans Mountain resumes.

by The Canadian Press