Construction on the controversial Trans Mountain Pipeline project is set to restart within a month.
In a statement released Wednesday, the company said it had directed its main contractors to begin the hiring and mobilization process necessary to restart the expansion project.
Once the “Notice to Proceed” directive is issued, contractors have 30 days to get equipment and supplies in place, hire crews and develop detailed construction plans. A total of 4,200 workers are expected to be working on the pipeline by the end of 2019.
“With the first wave of regulatory approvals complete, we are confident that we have a path forward by which the expansion project construction can commence,” said Trans Mountain president and CEO Ian Anderson in Wednesday’s statement.
Activities will resume immediately at Burnaby Terminal and at the Westridge Marine Terminal, both sites of high-profile protests in the past.
Work is also expected to begin throughout August and September, with construction set to resume in the area between Edmonton and Edson and around the Greater Edmonton area.
Edmonton Riverbend and Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux shared a statement shortly after the announcement, criticizing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s stance on oil and pipelines.
“Canadians have heard time and time again that Justin Trudeau wants to get pipelines built, yet in four years he has done the exact opposite,” Jeneroux said in an email, citing the troubled Northern Gateway and Energy East pipeline projects.
“These decisions are all part of Justin Trudeau’s plan to phase out Canada’s oil and gas sector. The fact is, that Justin Trudeau’s support for Canada’s Trans Mountain Pipeline project is not as advertised.”
Specific work-start dates are still up in the air and are pending final regulatory approvals and permits. Trans Mountain suggests the pipeline expansion could be operating by mid-2022 if work begins promptly next month.
Anderson maintains the company will continue engaging with Indigenous communities and other community groups affected by the pipeline.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
