Expansion of Trans Mountain welcomed by Kindersley mayor

The Trans Mountain Pipeline received its second approval this week and, with Kindersley being one of the centres for Western Canadian oil, the decision was welcomed by Mayor Rod Perkins.

After the federal government was sent back to the drawing board and following the initial investment in purchasing the pipeline, Perkins said at this point, the government had no choice but to get the pipeline approved.

“They went ahead and bought it, (so) unless you’re planning on mothballing ($4.5 billion), you have to approve it,” Perkins said. “I think their hands were tied a little bit there.”

When it comes to pipelines, Perkins hopes that this opens up doors for more projects to get the go-ahead.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I think Energy East should have been a go. I think if we can move product (in all directions) we’re a lot more competitive on the world market than we are having one customer to the south.”

When it comes to these projects, he hopes that this doesn’t end up just being another ploy to get more votes. He said this project depends on who forms government next.

There’s no set date yet for when construction of the expansion will begin, but Perkins says the sooner the better, in his eyes.

“If the shovels hit the ground tomorrow, that would be perfect,” he said.