We followed the money on Trans Mountain.

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Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00

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r1 What we found was disturbing. ... Donate Now
Dear Paov,

If you’ve followed our work for a while, you know that we have been leaders in efforts to defend communities and the environment from the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion (TMX).

Last year, we exposed information about delays and cost overruns facing the project, which – as we predicted – increased the project cost to a whopping $21.4 billion.

West Coast has been uncovering the legal and financial risks surrounding this pipeline because since Canada bought the project, transparency and updated financial information have been harder to come by.

The costs of this project keep increasing, and the federal government keeps doubling down on its promise of profitability. We knew there must be more to this story.

With the help of independent economist and public finance expert Robyn Allan, we decided to follow the money. What we found was infuriating. This report is critical due diligence for the Canadian public. Read our Report Now Using accounting wizardry and shell corporations, the government is hiding a damning detail: our analysis projects that the federal government is setting the stage to forgive $17 billion in debt that Trans Mountain owes to Canadians.

And that’s not all!

To make this costly project appear commercially viable, they had to stretch the payback period to one hundred years! Watch our Video Here

This defies logic. Exporting tar sands oil in 2121 only makes sense if you ignore the climate crisis.

Well, we’re not willing to ignore the climate crisis, or the environmental threats or violations of Indigenous rights caused by TMX – all things that the government has justified based on the project’s economics. Our report shows that this economic justification simply isn’t there.

And these new revelations are already making waves: since we launched our report last week, MPs from multiple parties have raised this issue during Question Period in the House of Commons, forcing Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to respond to Canadians’ concerns about the spiralling costs and public debt associated with TMX.

At West Coast, we want to build collective power to achieve a more sustainable future for us all. Part of building that collective power is exposing the truth about matters that affect us and our environment – just like we’ve done time and time again with Trans Mountain.

We believe in this work. We’re so grateful you’re by our side as supporters, believing in it too.

Stay tuned for more information on how you can support us as we push back on the federal government’s tricks, and hold them to account.

With hope,

Eugene Kung
Staff Lawyer

West Coast Environmental Law
700-509 Richards Street
Vancouver, BC
V6B 2Z6 phone: 604.684.7378
fax: 604.684.1312
toll-free in BC: 1.800.330.WCEL
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