Canada’s Supreme Court removed an obstacle to expansion of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline on Thursday, dismissing an appeal of a lower court decision that had backed Ottawa’s approval of the project.
The top court posted the decision online without elaborating.
The pipeline has put Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, which bought it in 2018 to ensure the expansion overcame legal and regulatory hurdles, in a political quandary. He has promised to reduce Canadian emissions and improve indigenous relations, but faced pressure to help the slumping oil industry critical to the national economy.
The ruling ends seven years of legal challenges, Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage said, adding that most Canadians, including many indigenous communities, want to share Trans Mountain’s economic benefits.
The corporation that runs the pipeline is still finalizing the route with landowners and needs permits, however.
(Reuters)
