EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says British Columbia’s decision to approve the expansion of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline will benefit both provinces.
Notley says the pipeline will help Alberta’s battered economy, create jobs in both provinces and help attract international investment to Canada.
She says there are plenty of people who support the pipeline and some opponents will be won over when they learn about how it will help the economy and how the federal government plans to bolster marine safety.
The premier says she has no problem with Kinder Morgan’s plan to pay B.C. up to $1 billion over 20 years to share in the revenue from the pipeline, and says the deal was not made at Alberta’s expense.
Notley says she does not believe the payment deal will set a precedent for other proposed pipeline projects such as Energy East.
She says it is good news after years of failure by conservative governments to get a pipeline approved.
“I am very happy. It is good news for Alberta. It is good news for Albertans,” she said.
“We are not out of the woods by any means. There are a lot of difficult times ahead and hard work to do but this is certainly something that of course in the long-term will have measurable benefits in terms of GDP, and jobs and bringing investment.”