Local governments sign up for $8.5 million in benefits should TransMountain pipeline expansion be approved

The federal government’s decision on expanding the TransMountain pipeline, expected no later than Dec. 19, will be an early Christmas present for an as yet unknown recipient.

As opponents hope for a resounding “no” on the $6.8-billion expansion project, all but a few of the communities along the pipeline route — from Strathcona County in Alberta to Burnaby, B.C. — have signed agreements ensuring they get more than a lump of coal if the project goes ahead, whether they endorse it, or not.

That could mean smoother golf greens in Abbotsford and a spray park in Barriere — in addition to more than a dozen other projects totalling $8.5 million — paid for by Kinder Morgan to offset the potential impacts of construction.

As political pundits noted the federal government’s more nuanced approach to the subject of pipelines in the months following last year’s election, TransMountain signed its first deal with a Metro Vancouver community in July. Others have followed.

From bike paths to education programs, here are details on some of the community benefit agreements signed so far:

A million for Metro’s Mackin Park

Touted by TransMountain as the first Metro Vancouver community to sign a benefit agreement, Coquitlam said it would accept $1 million to improve Mackin Park if the pipeline is approved.

In July, Coquitlam council specifically amended its approval of the compensation package to make it clear that accepting the deal was not an endorsement of the project.

But pipeline opponent Joe Foy said he has little use for such caveats — which have been made by several municipalities before they also signed community benefit agreements — calling them “bribery in plain sight.”

“If we believe it’s bad then we should bloody well stand for it,” said Foy, national campaign director for the Wilderness Committee. “When big oil comes knocking, we need to hang together. If communities think they’re alone and they don’t matter, they’re wrong.

Parks in the pipe for Fraser Valley

A revitalized city golf course, a pedestrian walkway over the Vedder River and an improved parking lot at the trailhead of an iconic Fraser Valley mountain could all become reality if the pipeline expansion is approved.

The cities of Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Hope, along with one of the Valley’s electoral areas, have signed community benefit agreements in the Fraser Valley Regional District.

If the pipeline is built, Abbotsford would get $1.3 million to revitalize Ledgeview golf course. (The community would also get 29 kilometres of new pipeline and a new storage tank at the Sumas Terminal.)

Chilliwack would get $1.2 million for a walking bridge over the Vedder River.

In 2014, Hope was one of the first communities along the pipeline route to accept an agreement for $500,000 to improve a community park. A few weeks ago, the Fraser Valley Regional District’s electoral area D accepted a $75,000 deal to upgrade the Mount Cheam trailhead parking lot.

$2.8 million marked for Interior

Benefits in the B.C. Interior include $290,000 for a splash park in Barriere, $700,000 for “community projects” in Kamloops, $420,000 for infrastructure in Merritt, $845,000 for parks, trails and infrastructure in the Thompson Nicola Regional District, $185,000 for infrastructure and education in Valemont, and $390,000 for education in Clearwater.

In total so far, $2.8 million has been earmarked for the Interior, compared to $4.1 million for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, according to figures provided by the TransMountain Expansion Project. 

More money in the offing

TransMountain has also signed 40 agreements with First Nations. While many of the details are confidential, they include things like education and training related to pipeline construction, enhancement of community lands and infrastructure, as well as business opportunities, according to a TransMountain spokesperson.

Both Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops and Camosun College in Victoria have reached agreements with TransMountain as well.

The holdouts 

Unsurprisingly, when TransMountain boasts in press releases that community benefit agreements have been signed along 95 per cent of the pipeline corridor, there is no mention of Burnaby.

One of the strongest opponents of the pipeline project — as well as its terminus — Burnaby has not signed a deal.

Several other Metro Vancouver communities have also come out against the project, notably Vancouver, which is not along the pipeline route. Mayor Gregor Robertson has been outspoken on the issue, saying the pipeline is not worth the risk to the environment, including Burrard Inlet, which could see traffic increase from about five tankers to 34 tankers a month.

Several First Nations and environmental groups also oppose the pipeline.

[Top photo:Construction work on Kinder Morgan's TransMountain pipeline. KINDER MORGAN / PNG]