Alberta Pipeline Protest: Indigenous Leaders Demand Review

0:00It's March 24th. This is Canada News today. AI-powered stories from your city. I'm Cory with the story. Indigenous leaders, farmers and landowners rallied at the Alberta legislature on Tuesday to protest the Pathways Alliance's proposed carbon dioxide pipeline. The group, led by concerned residents from areas like St. Paul, opposes the project without a full environmental impact assessment. The pipeline, backed by major oil sands companies, would stretch 400 kilometers from northern facilities to a storage hub near cold lake and, costs $16.5 billion. The Alberta Energy Regulator decided earlier this year, not to require an impact assessment report from the Alliance, though that could change with new evidence. Coalition members are urging the federal government to step in and conduct its own review, especially amid concerns over a draft agreement that might. Let Alberta handle assessments alone. Landowners say they face poor consultation,

1:02with companies approaching them for land access in 2023, but then going silent. They worry about pipeline ruptures harming land, water, and communities already hit hard by oil sands activity, including health issues and high living costs. Alberta's Environment Minister expressed surprise at the pushback, noting the project ties into a memorandum of understanding with the federal. Government aimed at easing regulations and boosting environmental standards. The new Democratic Party's energy critic stressed that past oil and gas projects always included proper community talks and assessments. Meanwhile, the coalition plans town halls to keep the pressure on, starting April 26th in Maalegh as they seek real answers on safety and sovereignty.