Environmental impact of oil tankers latest attempt to get Trans Mountain pipeline expansion approved

   Canada column for Sunday, Sept. 23/18

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   The environmental impact of oil tankers shipping crude oil from Alberta to overseas markets is being reviewed to try to get approval to expand the Trans Mountain pipeline.

   Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi said the Canadian government is giving the National Energy Board 22 weeks to complete a thorough review of the environmental impact of oil tankers off the British Columbia coast.

   The government bought the existing pipeline from Kinder Morgan for $4.5 billion, approved the project and plans to sell it back when completed to a private buyer.

   The Federal Court of Appeal has blocked the expansion saying more consultation and environmental impact studies are needed.

   Sohi said he believes the latest plan will “allow us to meet the high standards that Canadians expect when it comes to protecting the environment.”

   Under review will be the impact on killer whales with the number of oil tankers rising to 35 a month from the current five.

Canadian marijuana smokers, workers, investors could be banned from the U.S.

   Canada column for Sunday, Sept. 16/18

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Canadians who admit smoking marijuana and work or invest in companies producing pot products could be barred for life from entering the United States.

   As Canada’s law legalizing pot becomes effective Oct. 17, people need to be careful when crossing the border, officials warn.

   The U.S. is not planning to change its rules about border crossings in light of Canada legalizing pot sales and use, said Todd Owen of the U.S. Office of Field Operations.

   “Our officers are not going to be asking everyone whether they have used marijuana, but if other questions lead there or if there is a smell coming from the car, they might ask,” Owen told the Politico website.

   If asked about past drug use, travelers should not lie because that would be “fraud and misrepresentation, which carries a lifetime ban,” he added.

   The U.S. does not recognize those working or investing in the industry as a legal business.

   Vancouver venture capitalist Sam Znaimer who told border officers he has invested in U.S. cannabis companies was one of the first given a lifetime entry ban.

NAFTA negotiators try to "milk" a Canada-U.S. deal

   Canada column for Sunday, Sept. 9/18

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   c By Jim Fox

   An agreement to settle the dispute over revamping the North American Free Trade Agreement remains elusive as Canadian and U.S. negotiators try to “milk” a new deal.

   Dairy rules remain the big issue as Canada continues to resist allowing more access by the U.S. to its market.

   “The word that continues to block the deal is m-i-l-k,” said Larry Kudlow, director of President Donald Trump’s National Economic Council.

   His comments came just before talks between U.S. trade czar Robert Lighthizer and Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland ended for the week in Washington.

   “Let go milk, dairy, drop the barriers, give our farmers a break and we can fix some other things,” he added.

   For the Canadian dairy industry, protecting its business is particularly politically charged in Ontario and Quebec.

   Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada could be willing to be flexible on dairy but Kudlow said it wasn’t enough.

   Other differences include culture and the agreement’s dispute resolution mechanism.

Court overturns Canadian government's OK of Trans Mountain pipeline expansion

   Canada column for Sunday, Sept. 2/18

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Ruling that native groups were not consulted properly, the Federal Court of Appeal has overturned the Canadian government’s approval of the contentious Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

   The three-member court’s unanimous decision was a major victory for environmentalists and Indigenous groups fighting the project.

   They ruled that the National Energy Board’s review of the proposal was flawed and the government could not rely on it to approve the expansion.

   The 710-mile Kinder Morgan pipeline carries crude and refined oil to British Columbia ports from Alberta.

   This means halting the recently started expansion and sending it back to the review phase to examine impacts of ship tanker traffic and consulting more thoroughly with First Nations.

   The decision comes as pipeline shareholders approved a deal to sell the pipeline and expansion project to the Canadian government for $4.5 billion, not including construction costs that could be as high as $9.3 billion.

   Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government intends to have the pipeline expansion built “in the right way” and accepts the court’s criticism of the approval process.

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