Montreal mayor Denis Coderre is urging the National Energy Board to shelve a project that would lay 700 kilometres of pipeline through the province, at least until more answers are delivered
Coderre said at a press conference in Montreal Thursday that TransCanada’s proposal lacks transparency and that too many questions remain unanswered, including the exact route the pipeline would take, what emergency measure plans would be put into place and the environmental impact it would have.
“I truly believe in economic development, but not at any cost,” said Coderre.
“They have the burden of proof. Security is at stake. You just don't pass a pipeline like that when you have a major population without thinking about what happened in Lac Megantic," he said. “If those conditions are not implemented, tough luck as simple as that."
TransCanada disputes the notion that it has not delivered the details required.
“It's a 30,000 page document that we filed to the National Energy board and it includes exhaustive studies on the environment, on socioeconomic questions, on safety,” TransCanada spokesperson Tim Duboyce told CTV Montreal.
A concerned citizen's group has raised more than $350,000 to oppose the project, including several thousands from former MNA and student leader Gabriel Nadeau Dubois.
