TransCanada tries to woo support for west-east pipeline

Officials from TransCanada wrap up a series of open house meetings in New Brunswick this week as they try to win support for their proposed Energy East Pipeline project.

The company is planning its route of the west-to-east pipeline, which would pump oil from Alberta to as far east as the Irving Oil refinery in Saint John.

Cyrille Simard, the mayor of Edmundston, said he wants assurances from TransCanada that it will protect the area's water supply.

Simard said city council won't give its approval to the development until it is assured water won't be harmed.

A spokesman for TransCanada said the company's engineers are contacting the City of Edmundston to look into Simard's concerns.

Phillip Cannon said most of the people who have attended the open houses have been examining the proposed route map and want compensation if the route disrupts farming or tree lots during construction.

Cannon said that's something TransCanada is negotiating, adding that it is also working to assure residents that pipelines are the safest way to transport large amounts of oil.

TransCanada is proposing to convert roughly 3,000 kilometres of natural gas pipeline on its existing Canadian Mainline. The company would also construct 1,400 kilometres of new pipeline to carry oil into Saint John, where it will end at the Canaport LNG terminal.

The Irving Oil Ltd. refinery in Saint John is the largest in Canada and can process 300,000 barrels of oil per day. Saint John also has a deep-water port and a liquefied natural gas facility.