RESIDENT SUPPORT CONSISTANT ACROSS BC ON TRANS MOUNTAIN -- 59% of Metro Vancouver residents, 60% of Vancouver Island residents, and 63% of northern / interior residents

An Ipsos survey conducted last week found a solid majority of British Columbians support the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.

Sponsored by Resource Works, the survey found 60 per cent of British Columbians support the project, while only 29 per cent oppose it. The survey of more than 800 people from across the province conducted June 10 – 14 asked:

“Do you personally support or oppose the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project,

which involves building a second pipeline on the existing route between Alberta and Metro Vancouver?”

“Most British Columbians continue to support this important pipeline project, after evaluating a lot of inflammatory claims. Even the opposition of the BC NDP and local politicians in Vancouver and Burnaby doesn’t seem to have mattered that much. In the end, it is plain to a significant majority that this is a beneficial project,” said Stewart Muir, Executive Director of Resource Works.

“British Columbians can see through the politics and rhetoric to understand we rely on Alberta oil and gas to fuel our vehicles, homes, and workplaces, and that this pipeline is desperately needed to ensure a steady supply.”

The federal government is expected to make a decision on whether and how the pipeline will proceed tomorrow, June 18.

“It is our hope the federal government continue to make decisions on such projects on the basis of fact and science rather than spin, and do the right thing for all of Canada and the world,” Muir said. “It is time to act.”

“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a real issue, and there is no question we need to transition towards energy sources that don’t involve burning carbon,” Muir added.

“However, renewables are early in development and decades away from fueling our lives. In the meantime, burning lower-pollution fuels is an important part of our transition. Clean-burning Canadian oil and gas can help replace dirty coal in countries like China and India, making our industries part of the solution.”

The survey results were consistent across B.C., with 59 per cent of Metro Vancouver residents, 60 per cent of Vancouver Island residents, and 63 per cent of northern/interior B.C. residents polled expressing support for the project. A similar poll by Angus Reid in April 2018 found 55 per cent of Canadians are in favour of the project.

According to the Trans Mountain Expansion Project Overview, the $7.4 billion project will generate $46.7 billion in taxes and royalties in its first 20 years, funds that will pay for critical services such as police and other emergency services, infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and child care, even B.C.’s evolution to a green economy.

An estimated $5.7 billion of that will come to B.C.’s provincial government over two decades.

The project will employ 15,000 people during construction and then support another 37,000 permanent jobs once it is complete. Nearly a quarter of those jobs will be in B.C. – some 9,250 permanent, family-supporting jobs, many in rural communities. 

Stated Mr. Muir, “Without sufficient pipeline capacity however, Canada is unable to get much of its oil and gas to the international market, costing the country an estimated $30 - $40 million a day in lost revenue and forcing China and other nations to seek other sources of fuel for industry and electricity generation.”

Further, the pipeline is safe.

The existing pipeline has shipped oil from Alberta since 1953 with a small number of spills on land and without a drop of oil being spilled into the ocean by a tanker.

The project will provide $150 million in new private funding to the Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC) to strengthen the already-strong spill response capacity along B.C.’s coastline.

The Alternative?

“Without sufficient pipeline capacity however, Canada is unable to get much of its oil and gas to the international market, costing the country an estimated $30 - $40 million a day in lost revenue and forcing China and other nations to seek other sources of fuel for industry and electricity generation.”

About Resource Works:

Resource Works communicates with British Columbians about the importance of the province's resource sectors to their personal well-being. It demonstrates how responsible development of British Columbia's resources creates jobs and incomes throughout the province, both directly and indirectly, while maintaining a clean and healthy environment.

And Resource Works explores the long-term economic future of British Columbia as a place that depends on the responsible development, extraction and transportation of the province's resources.