Event6 April 2017Action

BC and Trans Mountain sign a benefits agreement worth C$25-50 million a year for 20 years

Under the agreement (effective Apr. 6, 2017), BC receives between C$25 million and C$50 million a year for the first 20 years, up to C$1 billion, with more if the project operates longer; above the guaranteed C$25 million, payments depend on the pipeline running at full capacity. It includes a 'British Columbians First' hiring and contracting policy (agreement text; BC release, Apr. 8, 2017).

Date

6 April 2017

Kind

Agreement

Where

Canada / British Columbia

Evidence

Action: Something was done: a law switched on, a tariff imposed, money committed. How evidence is weighed

Who

Government of British Columbia (signed)

Sources

• Government of British Columbia, “Agreement between Trans Mountain and the Province of British Columbia (effective April 6, 2017)” (external site), 6 April 2017. source record
• BC Gov News, “B.C. workers first in line for jobs: Province secures environmental benefits in agreement with Trans Mountain” (external site), 8 April 2017. source record

Projects

• Trans Mountain (TMX), existing system

Claims that rest on this event

• ContextMechanism

  Consultation gives First Nations no veto. Courts send approvals back for more consultation but rarely end projects: Trans Mountain's approval was quashed in 2018, granted again in 2019, and the pipeline was built. A nation that objects usually ends with an agreement or with an approval over its objection, so a nation that opposes and later signs reveals nothing about its motive. Provinces and towns holding the same lever end the same way.

  British Columbia, which held real permitting power, got money and conditions in a benefits agreement with Trans Mountain rather than a stop.