Local federal Liberal candidates Terry Beech and Adam Pankratz weighed in on the pipeline issue during a recent visit to Burnaby from their leader, Justin Trudeau.
Like Trudeau, neither seemed to choose a clear stance for or against the proposed expansion, but both talked about the need for improved regulatory processes.
“Right now, we’re having the wrong debate,” Beech told the NOW. “We’re debating about yes or no on Kinder Morgan when we really should be talking about: Is Kinder Morgan the right project in the context of others types of energy, in terms of other pipeline projects, in terms of potential to refine crude oil?”
Instead of choosing sides, Beech called for a new government with a dedicated evidence- and science-based cabinet that makes objective decisions on proposed projects.
Beech is running in Burnaby North-Seymour, the riding that includes the pipeline terminus, the tank farm and marine terminal.
“I’d say one in four doors I came across is talking about the Kinder Morgan pipeline, and that’s buttressed alongside concerns about jobs, concerns about the economy, concerns about some sort of plan for sustainable energy moving forward,” Beech told the NOW. “I think that most Canadians understand that Canada has been founded on natural resources, but we need a plan to figure out what Canada is going to look like in 2050, 2100.”
The pipeline is especially close to home for Beech. He lives on Inlet Drive, close to the existing line, about seven homes down the road from the site of the 2007 pipeline rupture, which happened before he moved to the neighbourhood.
“This is a core issue that not only affects me, it affects all my neighbours, and I hear about it from everyone,” Beech said. “So I’ve been completely disappointed with the way the environmental regulation on this portfolio has been taken aback, especially in the omnibus budget bills in 2011 and 2012.”
Adam Pankratz, the candidate for Burnaby South, also said the issue with Kinder Morgan wasn’t “yes or no” but more an issue of the corruption and perceived lack of objectivity from the National Energy Board.
“I think that’s where we need to return, towards a process that is truly objective that doesn’t give the impression of being stacked and in the favour of the oil companies, because that’s not a process anybody can really respect,” Pankratz said.
The two Liberals made their comments while Trudeau was visiting Burnaby’s General Fusion on June 30. Trudeau support for or opposition to the Kinder Morgan pipeline is unclear. In January 2014, he told Metro (Calgary) that he was “very interested” in the expansion project.
“I certainly hope that we’re going to be able to get that pipeline approved,” he told Metro.
On July 1, the NOW reported that Trudeau supported the Kinder Morgan expansion, but Trudeau’s staff called to clarify that he thinks the pipeline still needs to secure a social license from communities and the environment must be protected but stopped short of saying he was for or against the proposal. However, in a separate interview on June 30 with Metro’s Vancouver paper, Trudeau said he did not support the pipeline.
Further calls from the NOW to clarify were not returned.
NOTE: The first version of this story said "2015, 2100" in Beech's quote, which we changed to 2050, and Beech mentioned he is staying in his condo on Hastings Street while he does renovations on his Inlet Drive home.
