CALGARY — The federal government is launching a new set of consultations with Indigenous groups that will determine if and how they might take part in ownership of the Trans Mountain pipeline and its expansion project, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced Monday. As long as Trans Mountain is operated as a commercial enterprise, the industry will be supportive of its sale, said Chris Bloomer, CEO of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, after listening to the speech. A Federal Court of Appeal ruling last week that set aside a challenge of the Trans Mountain expansion project by four B.C. “We believe this new estimate is realistic and we remain confident that when it’s the appropriate time to sell, we will see a profit on this investment,” Morneau said. The government expects to earn $500 million a year in taxes from Trans Mountain after the expansion begins operating, he added.

Source: National Post February 10, 2020 17:40 UTC