TransGas close to picking final route for new pipeline south of Saskatoon

TransGas unveiled its latest proposed route for a new $60-million natural gas pipeline running south of Saskatoon on Saturday.

About 50 nearby landowners attended the open house at a golf club in The Willows area south of Saskatoon.

Ruth Gosselin and her husband Marcel, who own an 80-acrecattle, goat and sheep farm southwest of the Beaver Creek Conservation Area and an estimated one kilometre north of the proposed pipeline were among those eager to get a look at the latest maps.

"This is the first one that we've really seen them pursue that doesn'tgo through our property," said Gosselin.

While she said she was "slightly relieved" to see that, she said still worried her home was too close to the line in event of a spill. She was also concerned for her neighbours.

"Now it's going through my neighbour's property and this valley is a really nice community and we pull with each other, work with each other, combine with each other and seeing it go through my neighbour's organic land doesn't make me much happier."

Casey MacLeod, a senior communications officer for the SaskEnergy subsidiary, said the latest route which comes as the company nears the end of its public consultation process still crosses some private land.

But she saidcompany has tried to minimize how much private land the 60-kilometre transmission line falls on.

"Definitely it is a balancing act," she said. "We have to take in obviously impacts to landowners, taking into account what they use the land for right now, what their future plans are, if they have development plans for their land, as well as the effect to the environment."

Gosselin said the many potential routestouted by TransGasover the last two years leave her ultimately uncertain about the future of the pipeline route.

"We don't know where it will be next week," she said.

But TransGas hopes to begin installing the line in the summer of 2018.

Asked what happens if some people whose land is on the route still oppose the pipeline as construction nears, MacLeod said, "That`s always a last resort for us, to do any kind of expropriation

"We`ll be sitting down with the directly affected landowners after this, going through our easement agreement and what we're going to be doing, working to allay whatever concerns they have, where possible, to find something that works for both of us going through their land."

More than 50 per cent of the current route parallels existing land disturbances such as property lines, she added.