The federal government will protect and “fully” defend the ban on oil tankers off British Columbia’s northern coast, Premier Mark Carney and BC Premier David Eby said at a news conference Thursday.
The North Coast Tanker Ban, which went into effect in 2019, prohibits tankers from carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude oil in areas along British Columbia’s north coast.
The future of the ban came into question after the federal and Alberta governments signed a memorandum of understanding in November to lay the foundations for a new oil pipeline.
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“The Canada-BC agreement would maintain the federal ban on North Shore tankers in line with proposed new trans-provincial pipeline routes under bilateral agreements with Canada and Alberta,” Carney said.
““We have secured a commitment to maintain the tanker ban in the north, protecting British Columbia’s pristine northern coast and the $2 billion-plus economy that depends on it,” Eby said.
The main proposal in the MOU is a asphalt pipeline from Alberta to Canada’s West Coast that would carry an additional 300,000 to 400,000 barrels per day destined for Asian markets.
Under Thursday’s agreement, BC will also receive new funding for “critical infrastructure, resource projects, clean energy.”
This includes $3 billion on the Fraser River Tunnel Project, “as well as commitments to the expansion of the Red Chris mine and the North Shore Transmission Line.”
“We will catalyze more than $200 billion in new investment through this initiative. While advancing our trade agenda across Asia,” Carney said, adding that BC is a “keystone” in Canada’s strategy to diversify its trade relationships.
The federal government will work with private sector advocates, communities and First Nations to accelerate the permitting, financing and construction of major LNG projects in British Columbia, Carney said.
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