New Brunswick’s Alward tells Alberta Energy East project means thousands of jobs

EDMONTON – New Brunswick Premier David Alward has told Alberta’s legislature the proposed Energy East pipeline to his province is not just about resources, it’s also about creating thousands of jobs across Canada.

Alward urged premiers to work as one and push forward on the pipeline, which he once again compared to the national railway as a country-building project.

Both Alward and Alberta Premier Alison Redford are backing TransCanada’s $12-billion pipeline as critical to boosting the national economy and reducing Alberta’s backlog of crude.

The 4,500-kilometre line from Alberta to the deepwater port at Saint John would give Canada access to non-U.S. customers and reduce Eastern Canada’s heavy reliance on higher-priced foreign oil.

The proposal is in its preliminary stages and both Ontario and Quebec say they want more information on the impacts on their economies and on the environment.

A report prepared for TransCanada estimates the line would create 10,000 jobs during construction and 1,000 permanent jobs to go with billions of dollars in tax revenues for the six provinces involved.