Alberta backs pipeline to Pacific coast; B.C. opposes over environment, but federal authority prevails.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith backs a proposed Alberta-to-Pacific coast pipeline to boost the economy and diversify oil exports, countering British Columbia Premier David Eby’s opposition. Eby cites environmental risks, Indigenous opposition, lack of private proposals, and weak market demand, but evidence shows no major oil spills in Canadian coastal waters since the mid-1990s, Bill C-48’s tanker ban doesn’t apply to foreign vessels, and Indigenous groups have secured billions in contracts through related projects. High regulatory costs—not lack of interest—explain the absence of private proposals, while S&P Global projects record oilsands production by 2025 and growth through 2030, indicating strong market demand. The Supreme Court has ruled B.C. cannot block nationally significant infrastructure, affirming federal authority under the national interest standard.