The Northern Gateway project got a thumbs up from a federal review panel Thursday but has yet to meet a single condition imposed by the provincial government, according to Environment Minister Mary Polak.
A federal joint review panel recommended a conditional go-ahead for the controversial pipeline, with a final decision expected from the federal government by the middle of next year. But Polak said the provincial government isn't ready to give its blessing for any heavy oil pipelines in the province until all of its conditions are met.
The report comes close to meeting the first condition, which is successful completion of the environmental assessment process. Polak said that won't be official until the federal cabinet releases its decision.
The other four conditions are more challenging and include a world-class marine and land-based spill response plan, adequate consultation of First Nations and a fair share of benefits for B.C.
"Meeting all five will be a challenge, but we set the bar high for a reason," Polak said. "That was to ensure B.C.'s concerns around the environment, First Nations participation and overall economic benefit are taken seriously."
The conditions don't go far enough, according to NDP Opposition leader Adrian Dix. He said since the provincial government's final argument clearly stated it couldn't support the project as proposed, the Liberals should join his party in opposing the pipeline.
Polak said her party's conditions will ensure if the pipeline is built, it will be done safely.
Enbridge president and CEO Al Monaco said his company believes it can meet those conditions, but wants to talk with the provincial government about the details.
"I think the five conditions B.C. has outlined are a very good path forward to ensuring that we're doing everything possible that we can to make this a first-class project," he said.
Although constitutional jurisdiction rests with the federal government, Monaco said provincial input is key for the pipeline's success.
"We welcome any possible input that would make the project better," he said. "We're working on those five conditions - obviously the JRP report today addresses the first one - we'll continue to work on the rest."
Polak said Northern Gateway needs to do better than just say they'll meet the province's conditions or have National Energy Board impose its own similar conditions, she expects to see evidence. She pointed to Northern Gateway's evidence to the panel that detailed spill response plans would come at a later date.
"It's a good thing if the [joint review panel] is recognizing the importance of putting those conditions in place for Enbridge," she said. "For us to support the Northern Gateway pipeline though, we would have to see evidence that they are able to meet conditions that would then bring them to the level of achieving our five conditions."
