TransCanada announced Thursday that it wasn’t going ahead with the Energy East pipeline, bringing on a wave of comments either condemning or celebrating the outcome. Here is what some are saying:
“Today is not a good day for Canada. It is not a good day for the federation. It is a very bad day for the west. TransCanada made the decision to cancel Energy East – but make no mistake, the reasons for it fall at the feet of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the federal government. They have been, at best, ambivalent about the project and then moved the goalposts at the last moment by asking the regulator to consider the impact of upstream greenhouse gas emissions.” — Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall
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“I am satisfied that TransCanada is abandoning this project. Given the low level of social acceptability of such a project, it was the only option.” — Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre
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“We are deeply disappointed by the recent decision from TransCanada. We understand that it is driven by a broad range of factors that any responsible business must consider. Nonetheless, this is an unfortunate outcome for Canadians.” — Alberta Premier Rachel Notley
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“TransCanada Pipelines’ decision to cancel the Energy East Pipeline project was a business decision…Our government would have used the same process to evaluate the Energy East Pipeline project that saw the Trans Mountain expansion and Line 3 projects approved. Nothing has changed in the Government’s decision-making process.” — Minister of Natural Resources Jim Carr
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“This is a sad day for Canada. The construction of the Energy East pipeline was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This was a $15-billion private-sector investment that would have enabled further investment and development in our country, creating thousands of skilled jobs and generous tax revenues and royalties for all levels of government along with creating energy security for our country.” — Ian Whitcomb, President of Irving Oil
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“The message from today’s cancellation of TransCanada’s proposed Energy East pipeline is loud and clear: new tar sands pipelines don’t make sense - economically or environmentally - in a world that is addressing climate change and moving away from fossil fuels.” — Environmental Defence campaigner Patrick DeRochie
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“We’re disappointed. We supported the Energy East pipeline because it would have provided supply options and access to western Canadian crudes for our Montreal refinery and also would have provided access to new markets which is critical for Canadian producers.” — Sneh Seetal, spokeswoman for Suncor Energy
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“Both the Northern Gateway fight and this Energy East one show that when First Nations stand together, supported by non-Indigenous allies, we win…So that’s two tar sands expanding mega-pipelines stopped in their tracks but it will be a hollow victory if either Kinder Morgan, Line 3 or Keystone XL are allowed to steamroll over Indigenous opposition and serve as an outlet for even more climate-killing tar sands production.” — Grand Chief Serge Simon of the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake on behalf of the Treaty Alliance Against Tar Sands Expansion
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“Energy East really would have allowed us to become more energy independent as a nation to provide Canadian consumers with Canadian energy plus giving us more access to tidewater, so today is a very disappointing day.” — Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi
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“The Building Trades regrets the opportunities that have been lost in Atlantic Canada, Québec, Ontario and on the Prairies. What have been lost are high quality, high paying jobs in all of those regions on the construction of this world-class, nation building project.” — Robert Blakely, operating officer of Canada’s Building Trades Unions