Attorney General David Eby says filing will be made by the end of the month. (Chad Hipolito/Canadian Press) Photo Courtesy of CBC.
The province announced Wednesday it will be submitting a case they’ve been compiling to fight the $7.4-billion Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion to the highest court in B.C.
The case hopes to untangle whether the province actually has the right to restrict diluted bitumen shipments on its coast, based on environmental grounds. It’s a case that hopes to answer the constitutional question that’s at the root of the current Alberta and B.C. pipeline deadlock.
“In consultation with our lawyers, the government is now in a position to advise that British Columbia will be filing our reference case in the B.C. Court of Appeal within 10 working days, by April 30, 2018,” said Attorney General David Eby in a statement.
Earlier this month, Kinder Morgan said enough’s enough. The company announced it would be halting non essential spending on its operations until May 31st. By that date, the company says it needs a clear vision of what the pipeline looks like moving forward.
And although Trudeau, B.C. Premier John Horgan and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley met in Ottawa on Sunday to go over the topic, not much has changed.
“The B.C. Court of Appeal is the highest court to which the province can refer questions of this nature under B.C.’s Constitutional Question Act,” said Eby in the release.
According to Eby, notice of the reference has been given to the federal government. Before anything gets going, the reference has to first be approved by cabinet.
The results of the case could have wide ranging impacts. It could decide if B.C. does in fact have the constitutional validity to protect their coasts, and in effect, the future of the pipeline project.
The case’s hearing date and time will be scheduled in court.
With files from The Canadian Press
CHEK News
