The Trifecta: AB / Canada / BC
I was asked the other day what I thought of the potential MOU (that has since come to be) between the Alberta gov’t and the Federal gov’t? This time I will be brief.

Firstly, it is about time that those two levels of government got on the same page for the benefit of all of us.

Secondly, it is a good sign that the PM is starting to act like a PM – BC had no business being part of the initial discussion. Projects going across provincial boundaries are federal issues and should be treated as such. Besides, Eby is such a confused individual – he has trumpeted pipelines carrying gas (to Kitimat), he has no problems with trains travelling along the Skeena River carrying propane (to Prince Rupert), is a big supporter of DRIP yet is panicked to find out (what most of us warned would happen) that private property is at risk. So I am not sure how he can reasonably be expected to know what he wants when he does sit down to participate in any negotiation.

Thirdly, I am happy to hear that at least a partial lifting of the tanker ban is happening. I have always thought this was the most illogical policy due to the fact that there are already American tankers travelling from Alaska to California & Washington that travel right past the entire west coast.

From here on it gets a little trickier for me.

• I still prefer the option of strengthening the Port of Churchill and firmly believe it would be a better partnership as there are three provinces that have the same economic development desires, there are a goodly number of Aboriginal communities that already have ownership stakes is aspects of any resources transportation options, geographically the terrain is less problematic. Make this the really big project and do so while all the faux-protests are being distracted by the northern proposal.

• I think that the Port of Prince Rupert should build a oil transport off-loading facility (perhaps on Ridley Island) that is linked to the CN Railway and in turn, prairie oil can be transported by train and then shipped to Asia. As propane is already being shipped along that same rail line, the capability of the rail bed is such that using trains that are no longer needed for shipping oil to the Port of Vancouver could be re-deployed to the northern route fairly readily. This would not be a huge improvement but would give shippers another option of probably one tanker ship a week utilizing the shorter route to Asia. It could also lead to significant twinning of the track from the Alberta border to Prince Rupert!

No matter what, there is one very joyous sidebar: the former Environmental Minister in the Trudeau gong show gang has resigned from Cabinet. That should lead to my having to see him pontificating on the news far less often.

In reflection,

g.w.