Sask. mayors speak against oil tanker ban at Senate hearing

The wheels of democracy were well-oiled Wednesday during a public hearing on a proposed tanker ban along British Columbia’s northern coast.

The Senate Transport and Communications Committee heard from a group of Saskatchewan mayors who spoke against Bill C-48 at the hearing in Regina.

The bill bans oil tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude oil from stopping at ports along the B.C. coast from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the Alaska border due to environmental concerns.

“I think this is the most ridiculous bill to ever cross (the Senate) floor. I think it doesn’t make sense. It’s not fair and I truly believe that they are going to be our true, sober, second thought,” said Swift Current Mayor Denis Perrault.

Perrault said municipalities need to be advocates of the oil industry to help get product to market safely with a fair price in return. Bill C-48 is seen as another obstacle to the industry, which is already facing challenges building new pipelines.

Perrault is concerned about oil being transported by truck or rail if pipelines aren’t built. He said it’s important to diversify the customer base so that Canadian oil is not just heading south at a discount to the U.S. but around the world, including to markets in Asia.

“Pipelines make sense. It is the safest, most responsible way to do that and then ultimately get on a tanker to diversify our customers,” said Perrault.

In speaking against Bill C-48, the mayors raised concerns that there won’t be an incentive to build new pipelines to the West Coast if the oil can’t continue on a boat to Asian markets.

“You can build a pipeline to nowhere (but) you won’t have the investment. This is a critical piece to that puzzle,” said Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers.

Aalbers explained if there isn’t market investment and ability to get the oil to customers, confidence in the oil industry will be lost.

“Every possibility of enhancing the market is to our benefit,” he said. “The pipeline companies won’t build pipelines unless they have commitments.”