Shaun Polczer, CALGARY: With the beat of traditional Native drums, Canada began its long-awaited hearings into the Northern Gateway pipeline. The project aims to carry crude from Alberta’s oil sands to the British Columbia (BC) coast, giving the country access to China’s thirsty market.
But instead of raucous protests, calm seemed to carry the day as the country debated the merits of shifting exports away from the US.
Enbridge’s C$5 billion ($4.9 billion) Northern Gateway pipeline would carry 550,000 barrels a day (b/d), 1,200 km from Alberta to BC, where it would be loaded on tankers bound for Asia. But the project faces stiff opposition from aboriginal groups opposed to opening coastal waters to tankers. Indeed, the first two days of hearings were dominated by Native elders in traditional costume, warning of the dangers to their traditional way of life in the event of a spill....