TORONTO – Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is promising to address environmental concerns amid protests over a west-east pipeline plan that would transport Alberta oil to foreign markets.
Protests that have cropped up in the province include a blockade of an Enbridge pumping station near Hamilton in June.
Eighteen people were arrested and charged in that incident when they refused to leave the station.
They oppose Enbridge’s plan to reverse the flow of oil in a stretch of pipeline from Westover, Ont., — about 30 kilometres northwest of Hamilton — to Montreal, saying the move could lead to a possible breach.
Wynne says environmental concerns have to be at the centre of any talk about the movement of fuel through the province.
She says the province has to work with all groups, including First Nations communities, to make sure there are protections in place.
The premier says Ontario also has to work with other provinces with the understanding that they all share energy needs.