B.C. Premier Eby says he's not opposed to privately backed oil pipeline to north coast

Lauren Vanderdeen · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 22, 2025 5:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

As Alberta Premier Danielle Smith pushes for a crude lipid pipeline to British Columbia's northbound coast, B.C. Premier David Eby says he's not simply saying no.

Instead, Eby said he's against the nationalist backing of specified a pipeline.

"What I don't enactment is tens of billions of dollars successful national subsidy going to physique this caller pipeline erstwhile we already ain a pipeline that empties into British Columbia and has important further capableness — 200,000 barrels," Eby said connected Sunday, referring to the Trans Mountain pipeline.

He added there's nary institution presently advocating for Smith's pipeline proposal.

"There's nary wealth for it," Eby told CBC's main political correspondent Rosemary Barton.

Smith has been advocating for the bitumen pipeline to B.C.'s bluish tidewaters and said she is actively searching for funny backstage assemblage companies.

She has suggested the pipeline's extremity constituent beryllium successful Prince Rupert, B.C., avoiding the cancelled Northern Gateway pipeline's projected terminus successful different bluish B.C. port, Kitimat.

But Eby said helium wants to prioritize projects that are "shovel-ready."

"We person large projects with backstage proponents, currency connected the table, acceptable to spell to prosecute radical and physique — let's absorption connected those," helium said.

Eby listed B.C. vigor projects including the LNG Canada project in Kitimat and the Ksi Lisims LNG project north of Prince Rupert, arsenic good arsenic large hydroelectric projects, mining projects successful the northwest, and assorted upwind and star projects that helium said volition beryllium interconnected with the Yukon and Alberta.

WATCH | LNG Canada export installation comes online: 

Eby besides highlighted the information that helium precocious signed onto a memorandum of knowing with occidental premiers astir a commercialized corridor that could see large vigor projects specified arsenic dense oil.

But helium noted determination are large issues with a connection for a pipeline, peculiarly the federal tanker prohibition connected the northbound coast.

The prohibition prohibits lipid tankers carrying much than 12,500 metric tons of crude oil, oregon persistent lipid products, from stopping, loading, oregon unloading astatine ports successful a restricted area covering astir the full northbound coast.

WATCH | Western premiers discuss caller partnerships: 

Smith has said she volition person Eby of the pipeline's merits, which she said could see billions successful revenue.

"It's Team Canada oregon not," she said connected Rosemary Barton Live earlier this month.

"I would anticipation that what would hap is that we would place immoderate morganatic concerns that a state mightiness person and past enactment done them," Smith added.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has said portion helium wants to speed up "nation-building" infrastructure projects, helium wants to physique statement betwixt governments.

"We volition not enforce a task connected a province," Carney said astatine a property league earlier this month.

Eby said helium would beryllium blessed to beryllium down with Albertan officials if a backstage proponent came to the array without nationalist money.

"We'll transverse that span erstwhile we travel to it," Eby said.