By Greg Fry

Kamloops MLA slams NDP for handling of pipeline-wine dispute

Feb 23, 2018 | 2:43 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops-South Thompson B.C. Liberal MLA Todd Stone has sounded off on B.C.’s minority NDP government for its handling of the province’s wine dispute with Alberta.

On Thursday, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley lifted her province’s ban on imported B.C. wine after B.C. said it would file a constitutional reference case on the issue. 

“I think this made-in-B.C. trade war really truly reflects the incompetence of the John Horgan NDP government,” Stone told CFJC Today. “I mean, they brought this on themselves. The Trans Mountain pipeline project, which will by the way provide upwards of 600 jobs in the Kamloops area during construction and huge contributions to the provincial and local economies in terms of taxes being paid, this project falls within federal jurisdiction.”

Not only that, Stone added it’s an economic union constitutional issue that provides the right for the flow of resources across provincial boundaries.

“The John Horgan NDP government knew that. They’re obviously trying to appeal to the environmental activists within their party and the Green Party that’s propping them up in the Legislature at the moment which is why they’re quote-unquote throwing every tool they possibly can and trying to kill this project.”

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And though the ban lasted just two weeks, he says it caused plenty of damage including hurting the bottom lines of B.C. wineries and other businesses.

“We know that contractors in the energy sector in communities across B.C. that were hard hit by this trade dispute in so far as orders that were cancelled by Alberta firms. And we have been hearing for weeks now from tourism operators all across B.C., particularly in the Kootenays, who’ve been saying they’ve been on the receiving end of lots of cancelled bookings, lots of cancelled trips from Albertans not wanting to come to B.C. as part of this.”

And on top of all that, Stone says the NDP government had put at risk a $1.5 billion ocean protection fund which represents a federal investment in significantly enhancing the protection of coastlines in the event of oil spills.