File photo.
An appeal by the City of Burnaby has been dismissed Thursday morning by the Supreme Court of Canada on the construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
The National Energy Board (NEB) had ruled Kinder Morgan could bypass local bylaws during construction of the pipeline, which Burnaby took to the Federal Court of Appeal.
The lower court dismissed the appeal with costs in March and the city then asked the Supreme Court to consider the ruling.
The project has faced considerable opposition in B.C. from the provincial government, environmental groups and some First Nations.
An anti-pipeline rally was held in Nanaimo Wednesday as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the federal Liberal cabinet are holding a retreat in preparation for the next session of parliament.
Another rally is planned in Vancouver at a federal Liberal fundraiser.
Ottawa approved the pipeline expansion in 2016, which would triple the amount of diluted bitumen and other oil products flowing between facilities in Edmonton and Burnaby.
Thousands of people have protested the expansion project and the B.C. government has declared its opposition for environmental reasons, from increased tanker traffic and potential oil spills on along the coast.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, who has said the pipeline expansion is in the national interest, tweeted shortly after the court decision that her government is “batting a thousand” when it comes to her province’s fight for the project.
We are pleased with the Supreme Court’s Decision today to dismiss Burnaby’s leave to appeal. (https://t.co/KPX9vSemxn)
Our government is batting a thousand when it comes to fighting for this pipeline.#abpoli #ableg #tmx #KeepCanadaWorking
— Rachel Notley (@RachelNotley) August 23, 2018
“When the City of Burnaby tried to block the Trans Mountain Pipeline in court, we intervened – and we won in court and we won again today,” Notley tweeted.
“In fact, the courts have ruled 17 out of 17 times in favour of Trans Mountain.”
With Kinder Morgan threatening to pull away from the project because of construction delays, the federal government purchased the Trans Mountain pipeline in May and committed to spending more to have the expansion completed.
The high court ruling is one of the last remaining court challenges being fought by Trans Mountain expansion opponents.
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