‘We used to be so close’: Alberta newspaper ad targets B.C. residents in pipeline battle

'We used to be so close': Alberta newspaper ad targets B.C. residents in pipeline battle
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The Alberta advertisement regarding the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion published in B.C. papers.

The Alberta advertisement regarding the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion published in B.C. papers.

The Alberta government has spent more than $60,000 on newspaper advertisements in British Columbia to try to get support for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

The full-page ads were published in the Vancouver Sun, the Times Colonist, the Globe and Mail and other papers. The ad says that despite the provinces’ differences, they have common priorities – including fighting climate change.

“We used to be so close,” the ad said.

“Despite the current differences between our governments, British Columbians and Albertans share the same goal.”

 

The ad goes on to mention Alberta’s voluntary caps on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon pricing, adding that the federal government recognized these actions when it approved the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

“The B.C. government is now trying to break the rules of Confederation and ignore the national climate plan, choosing to agree with only parts of the federal decision,” the ad said.

“This disregard for the rules of law puts our national economy in danger. To investors, it makes us look like a risky bet. And it could put an end to the national climate change plan.”

The ad also asks British Columbians to consider how the Trans Mountain expansion will bring in revenue for public services across the country, including roads, hospitals and schools.

“Over the next 20 years, the Trans Mountain expansion is conservatively expected to generate $46.7 billion in government revenue to pay for public services across the country,” the ad said.

“That’s $5.7 billion in B.C., $19.4 billion in Alberta and $21.6 billion across the rest of Canada. ”

The advertisement ends by asking the two provinces to work together to “benefit everybody.”

“Let’s support good jobs for working people together with a national climate plan – and bring this country back together,” the ad reads.

The ad comes days after Alberta Premier Rachel Notley promised retaliatory measures if there is no progress on resolving the impasse. Earlier this month, she announced a ban on the import of B.C. wine. She also previously paused talks to buy more electricity from B.C.

B.C. is challenging the boycott under the Canadian free trade agreement’s dispute settlement process.

With files from The Canadian Press

Alexa HuffmanAlexa Huffman

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