Edmonton-area mayors push for Trans Mountain expansion project

Political leaders from the greater Edmonton region are pushing for consensus on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, ahead of a national convention of municipal leaders in Halifax this weekend.

Mayors and members of theEdmonton Metropolitan Regional Board made the collective statement at Edmonton City Hall on Monday, urging provincial and federal governments to agree to back the contentious project.

The project, approved in 2016 by the federal government, has been blocked for months by the B.C. government. The company behind the proposed expansion, Kinder Morgan Canada, last month issued an ultimatum, saying it needed to see a clear path forward for the $7.4-billion projectby May 31 or it would walk away from construction.

Stuart Houston, the mayor of Spruce Grove, said the leaders felt a "special responsibility" to speak out before that deadline andthe Federation of Canadian Municipalities meeting in Halifax.

"We're at a crossroads in this country," he told media. "To get a fair price for our oil, it's absolutely critical that the capital region steps up like other municipalitieshave done, in support of this."

Houston said the mayors were banding together to encourage the provincial and federal governmentsto "use their ancillary powers to push this pipeline through."

"The Kinder Morgan pipeline is an absolutely criticalpiece of infrastructure that's going to be a tremendous benefit to Canada."

He said the FCM convention, which about 1,100delegates are expected to attend,will be an ideal timeto gather support.

Mayors from surrounding jurisdictions, includingthe City of Leduc,Fort Saskatchewan,Leduc County,St. Albert,Parkland County andStrathconaCounty, stood behind Houston as he spoke with media.

Edmonton Mayor DonIvesonwas present for the announcement but left the statement to Houston. The collective push comes a few days after Ivesonsaid the city can't rely strictly on oil and gas, including the Trans Mountain pipeline, for its economic future.

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Kinder Morgan's pipeline expansion project has been a battleground for Alberta and B.C. for months, since B.C. Premier JohnHorganannounced he wouldn't support the pipeline.

The proposed pipeline would nearly triple the amount of crude oil, semi-refined and refinedproducts carried from Edmonton toBurnaby, B.C.

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The Alberta legislature passed a bill on May 16, commonly referred to as the "turn-off-the-taps" legislation, which would ultimately allow the province to cut off gas shipments to B.C. The bill has not been proclaimed into law.

In early April, Kinder Morgan announced it was suspending non-essential activities and related spending for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

Federal finance Minister Bill Morneau is expected to make an announcement Wednesday about theproject.