VANCOUVER – TRUDEAU MAINTAINS STANCE ON PIPELINE BUT MUM ON ACTION

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s standing up for construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion but still isn’t saying exactly what he will do to get it built.

Trudeau was asked Wednesday about the growing spat between B.C. and Alberta after the Horgan government announced plans to limit how much diluted bitumen can be shipped through coastal waters.

On Tuesday, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley banned imports of B.C. wine in the latest effort to fight the proposal by the neighbouring province.

Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday that he talks to premiers regularly about the need to get the pipeline expansion built, but stopped short of agreeing to intervene in the emerging trade war.

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SASKATCHEWAN PREMIER SAYS HE WON’T BAN B.C. WINE

The premier of Saskatchewan says he doesn’t think the latest dispute with B.C. over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion will be solved by trade measures that impact consumers and private businesses.

Scott Moe says in a statement on Facebook that he will not be joining Alberta in banning the import of British Columbia wines.

Notley announced the ban Tuesday in retaliation for B.C.’s plan to limit bitumen shipments off its coast, which she sees as an attempt to do an end run around federal approval of the pipeline expansion from Alberta to Burnaby.

Moe says his province supports Alberta in its fight but will look at other options to fight the B.C. proposal, either through the courts or interprovincial trade agreements.

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B.C. LIBERALS WANTS END TO TRADE WAR OVER PIPELINE

The B.C. Liberal caucus is calling on Premier John Horgan to end a growing trade war with Alberta before it puts even more jobs in the province at risk.

The Liberals say Horgan touched off the dispute that led Alberta to ban B.C. wine imports Tuesday by proposing to limit bitumen shipments from this province, a move that would at least temporarily delay the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

And they the NDP appears poised to make things worse with Agricultural Minister Lana Popham suggesting B.C. might respond by banning Alberta beef.

The Liberals say B.C. beef is mainly processed in Alberta so acting on the threat would create a lose-lose situation for both provinces.

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COALITION WANTS QUICK INTRO TO RIDE-HAILING SERVICE

A new coalition has launched a letter-writing campaign calling for the speedy introduction of ride-hailing services in B.C.

The coalition of eight groups that also includes several business groups and the national organization that advocates for the blind, says the move would deliver much-needed choice to B.C. passengers.

It has set up a website where supporters can sign and email a letter to their member of the legislature.

The New Democrats promised during last spring’s election to have ride-hailing in place by the end of last year but later said they needed time to study the service and its impact on the taxi industry before introducing legislation in the fall.

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TWO WOMEN APPOINTED JUDGES

Two women have been named to fill judicial vacancies in B.C., including in the province’s highest court.

Federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould has appointed B.C. Supreme Court Judge Susan Griffin to the B.C. Court of Appeal and the Yukon Court of Appeal, filling a vacancy created in the fall of 2016 when Justice Richard Goepel elected to become a supernumerary judge.

Diane MacDonald, who has been general counsel for the B.C. Teachers’ Federation since 2008, has been named as a B.C. Supreme Court justice in Vancouver to replace a judge who retired last September.

MacDonald acted as co-counsel in the successful Supreme Court of Canada appeal over the rights of teachers to negotiate classroom sizes.

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WOMAN RELEASED WITHOUT CHARGES AS RCMP INVESTIGATE TEEN’S DEATH

The RCMP say a suspect was arrested but released without any charges being laid in the killing of a 17-year-old boy in Penticton last year.

Police say the 20-year-old woman was picked up last Thursday and freed the same day.

Cpl. Dan Moskaluk says the investigation continues into the death of the teen, who went into medical distress while in the company of a young woman last April.

Moskaluk says the death was originally attributed to a medical condition but was deemed a homicide due to evidence that surfaced last August.

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By The Canadian Press, Vancouver