Supreme Court will not hear Trans Mountain pipeline expansion appeal cases

OTTAWA — The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has cleared another legal hurdle.

The Supreme Court of Canada has decided not to hear five challenges from environment and Indigenous groups from British Columbia.

Some had wanted the top court to consider whether the Liberal cabinet violated the Species at Risk Act when it decided to approve the pipeline expansion a second time in June 2019, arguing the project would harm the highly endangered southern resident killer whales.

The Federal Court of Appeal had overturned cabinet’s first approval in 2018, citing insufficient consultation with Indigenous Peoples and a failure to take the impacts on marine animals into account.

The Federal Court of Appeal heard — dismissed last month — appeals from Indigenous communities about whether there had been enough consultation, but had declined to hear arguments from the environment groups.

As usual, the Supreme Court did not give any reasons for its decision.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2020.

The Canadian Press