The Oil Tanker Ban That Dims Alberta’s Pipeline Hopes – The Tyee

Nov 21, 2025

The law is six years old. But federal promises to protect BC’s north coast from spills date back decades.

As the federal government works toward a deal with Alberta to ship crude from the oilsands through northern British Columbia, it will have to navigate a long-standing agreement to keep oil tankers away from B.C.’s north coast.

It’s a debate many in B.C. believed long settled.

While the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act became law in 2019, its history dates back more than 50 years to Canada’s first Prime Minister Trudeau, plans for an Alaskan oil pipeline and fears about what a spill on the west coast could mean for the economy and First Nations communities of B.C.’s northwest.

Read More: https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/11/21/Oil-Tanker-Ban-Dims-Alberta-Pipeline-Hopes/