Federal cabinet decision on fate of Trans Mountain pipeline due Tuesday

Jun 16, 2019 | 10:51 AM

OTTAWA — The Liberal government’s $4.5-billion gamble to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline in a bid to get it expanded will come to a head on Tuesday when the federal cabinet decides whether to sign off on the project for a second time.

Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi says the decision is coming by Tuesday after official consultations with affected Indigenous communities wrapped up earlier this month.

It’s been more than 290 days since the Federal Court of Appeal ripped up the original approval and sent the government back to the drawing board.

The court said the government hadn’t done a proper consultation with affected Indigenous communities and it failed to take into account the impact the project would have on marine life off the coast of British Columbia.