Dear John: Alberta launches petition to B.C.’s Premier Horgan in pipeline fight

February 14, 2018 The Canadian Press

EDMONTON – Alberta is ratcheting up the public relations fight over the Trans Mountain oil pipeline by launching a website and online petition.

Premier Rachel Notley is asking Albertans to sign the petition, which will be sent to her B.C. counterpart, John Horgan.

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Notley and Horgan have locked horns over a proposal by British Columbia to refuse an expansion of oil imports until it is sure safety plans are in place to handle any spills or other environmental catastrophes.

The move would effectively kill the expansion of the Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd. pipeline, a project that would triple the amount of oil now being shipped from Edmonton to terminals in Burnaby.

Ottawa has already approved the expansion, and Notley says the project is desperately needed so that Alberta can get better prices for its oil.

Notley says Horgan is stepping on Ottawa’s jurisdiction and Alberta has halted electricity purchase talks and imposed a ban on B.C. wine in retaliation.

“This fight, it isn’t something any one government can do alone,” Notley said in a news release Tuesday.

“We need all of us working together to make sure the B.C. government fully understands why this pipeline matters, why good jobs matter and why the rules of our country matter.”