“A very exciting opportunity”- Premier supports Indigenous plan to purchase Trans Mountain
Posted January 15, 2019 1:52 pm.
Last Updated January 15, 2019 7:46 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) — After announcing the top baby names for children in Alberta, Premier Rachel Notley expressed optimism for a plan to adopt the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Indigenous leaders from around Canada will gather at the Grey Eagle Event Centre in Calgary to discuss ownership options for the project.
“I think it’s a very exciting option, a very exciting opportunity,” said Notley at Mount Royal University.
She said she is in favour of any plan that helps get the pipeline built, months after the federal government purchased it for over $4 billion.
“I think we’re a little ways away from those final decisions being made, but I encourage groups to come together and look at ways in which they can participate in the project.”
While Indigenous opposition to this pipeline and other oil and gas projects usually dominates headlines, Notley said this idea can actually provide more clarity on the matter.
“Because I think that First Nations and Indigenous groups are not homogenous on it, and it goes to show that in fact there are a number of communities across this country who understand the economic benefit that comes from supporting a sustainable, responsible oil and gas industry.”
READ MORE: Indigenous group wants to purchase the Trans Mountain pipeline
Plus, any sort of conversation that keeps the expansion moving forward is positive.
“So I think it just goes to show that we have to balance these issues, that we need to work together, we shouldn’t be setting them against each other, we should be working on both goals. And that is the way you get to success,” said Notley.
The premier was also asked about the curtailment of oil production in the province, which has raised prices slightly, but she stressed is not a long-term solution.
“It makes no sense to be withholding or withdrawing from something that’s about producing a product which supports economic prosperity. So we need to be sure that we can move forward quickly on getting things back to rail economics and ultimately pipeline economics.”
