Trans Mountain pipeline expansion expected to be big issue in Burnaby North—Seymour riding
Credit to Author: Gordon Hoekstra| Date: Thu, 03 Oct 2019 22:24:18 +0000
In this federal election, Burnaby North—Seymour is ground zero for the oil pipeline debate.
It’s the terminus for the $9.3-billion Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion that will increase oil tanker traffic in the Burrard Inlet and increase the size of an existing oil tank farm on Burnaby Mountain.
Burrard Inlet runs through the riding, redrawn in the last election, and includes Burnaby north of the Lougheed Highway and part of the District of North Vancouver.
The riding is where hundreds of people have been arrested violating a B.C. Supreme Court injunction that was meant to keep protesters from hampering construction work. It’s also the home of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation whose people are adamantly opposed to the project.
The Liberals — who promised in the last election that projects such as this cannot go ahead without community or First Nation support — bought the pipeline for $4.5 billion last year. It did so because it was worried that U.S.-based Kinder Morgan was going to pull the plug on the expansion.
Earlier, the Trudeau government approved Trans Mountain, at the same time killing the Northern Gateway oil pipeline project. Along with a national carbon tax and pledges by Albert to cap oilsands emissions and phase out coal-generated power, the Liberals argued it balanced environmental and economic imperatives.
With parties staking out starkly different positions on the pipeline and climate policy, Simon Fraser University political scientist Cara Camcastle believes there is a distinct possibility those issues will be a major factor in this riding.
“It depends on how important is the environment and the climate issue” is to voters, said Camcastle. “It’s more than just the pipeline. Where are we going to put our resources? Where is the emphasis going to be as a society — as a government? Is it away from fossil fuels?”
Recent election polls have pegged climate change as a key issue for voters.
The website 338Canada.com — which makes projections based on polling, electoral history and demographic data — this week forecast the Burnaby North—Seymour riding as a toss-up. It has the Liberals leading with the Conservatives in second place, followed by the NDP and the Greens. The margin of error of the polling is quite large, however.
Liberal candidate Terry Beech rode in on the wave of Trudeau support in the 2015 election, however, his margin of victory over an NDP candidate was less than six per cent.
Beech voted against the Trans Mountain expansion in parliament to reflect the “on balance” opposition of his constituents.
But Beech says it’s important to remember that east of his riding, the majority of voters support the project, and some in his own riding support it, too. Because his government wants the project built, he said he has focused on marine and tanker issues, climate change and the tank farm.
He noted there are also housing affordability and traffic concerns in his riding, both of which have been met with investments. “If you look at our government through that lens, investing in Canadians, you can see a lot of what our approach is,” said Beech.
Conservative candidate Heather Leung, who is not talking to media, has taken a pro-pipeline stance.
The NDP candidate Svend Robinson is mounting a comeback after his political career ended in 2004 when he admitted to stealing a valuable ring from an auction house.
Robinson said he is hearing from voters there is a great sense of the betrayal by the Liberal government and Beech over Trans Mountain. “Lots of people who believed the promises — who voted Liberals last time — are saying that’s it. They are supporting my candidacy,” he said.
The Greens, represented by Amita Kuttner, oppose the Trans Mountain expansion. The People’s Party of Canada, whose candidate is Rocky Dong, supports the project.
As for affordability, Murray Martin, a spokesperson for Burnaby ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), said he has been disappointed by the lack of discussion about the high cost of renting.
Renters might be concerned about the pipeline, but it’s an abstract issue when you are paying more than half your income in rent, said Martin.