The Calgary Chamber is encouraged by Federal approval to the Northern Gateway pipeline project.
For Immediate Release
June 17, 2014
The Calgary Chamber is encouraged by Federal approval to the Northern Gateway pipeline project.
CALGARY – Today’s decision by the Federal Government to approve the Northern Gateway project is being met with optimism from the Calgary Chamber.
“Market access is one of the key issues facing the Canadian energy business,” says Calgary Chamber President and CEO, Adam Legge. “Opening up our economy to energy markets across the Pacific is imperative to Calgary’s business climate and is essential in keeping our economic engine running.”
In 2013 the Calgary Chamber’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee identified market access as perhaps the most significant issue facing all of Calgary business communities and has committed its activities ever since to improvement.
“This decision is not just about big oil or even big business. Diversifying markets for Canada’s goods, services and resources is a critical issue for all Canadian business, whether large, medium or small,” says Brian Bietz, Chair of the Calgary Chamber’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee. “How we treat this project could easily set the tone for every new project where cooperation between communities and the sharing of both costs and benefits is fundamental to eventual success.”
The Calgary Chamber is currently reaching out to its counterparts in towns and cities along both the Northern Gateway and Trans Mountain pipeline routes in order to hear their issues directly. We aim to enhance the dialogue between businesses and communities that is necessary for any of these projects to be successful.
While the Chamber is encouraged, we remain concerned about the length of time and effort currently involved in regulatory approvals and how the length of the approval process affects our ability to be competitive on the world stage.
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For more information or further comment contact jcallsen@calgarychamber.com
