Burnaby’s mayor says the $1.5-billion Oceans Protection Plan announced by the federal government this week is a sign of what’s to come.
Derek Corrigan told the NOW he’s worried Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will approve the proposed Trans Mountain expansion after Monday’s funding announcement.
“I think all of us can look at this as being something that’s anticipatory. He’s trying to ease us into a decision that’s going to be made later on in December by making these announcements now. It’ll be disappointing, but it certainly is, I think, a precursor to an announcement we’re going to like even less,” said Corrigan.
Trudeau’s announcement comes exactly six weeks before his Liberal cabinet is expected to make a decision on the Kinder Morgan file. The federal response appears to satisfy one of the five conditions Premier Christy Clark set out for any new pipeline development – that there be a world-leading coastal spill response system.
Corrigan said while it’s hard not to welcome investment in oil spill response, no plan will change his mind about the pipeline.
“I don’t believe that having the ability to respond quickly to a disaster is going to prevent the implications of that, no matter how quick you are. Bitumen is an oil that doesn’t float. It drops to the bottom of the ocean. No matter how hard you work or no matter how quick you are, you’re going to lose oil that’s going to be there for hundreds of years into the future,” he said.
“So far, Prime Minister Trudeau has basically followed the Conservative agenda. He hasn’t done anything differently. He made all kinds of promises that he was going to do business differently. … I think there’s going to be a lot of young people who voted for Trudeau who are going to be very disappointed,” added Corrigan.
Many organizations echo the mayor’s sentiments about the federal government setting the stage for a yay decision, including Dogwood Initiative and BROKE.
The Oceans Protection Plan includes restoring and protecting marine ecosystems and habitats, dealing with abandoned boats and wrecks and investing in oil spill cleanup research and methods.
-with files from Jeremy Deutsch
