Teck Frontier Oil Sands Mine Project

The Frontier Oil Sands Mine Project, proposed by Teck Resources Limited includes the construction, operation, and reclamation of an oil sands surface mine with a production capacity of about 260,000 barrels per day of bitumen.  The project is located in northeastern Alberta, approximately 110 km north of Fort McMurray.  

According to reports, the Liberal government is preparing an aid package for Alberta if the $20-billion proposed Frontier oilsands mine is rejected.  Several Liberal MPs have already called for the project to be rejected, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said his cabinet will deliver its final decision on the Teck Frontier mine by end of the month. 

The Liberals are turning a national opportunity into a national unity crisis.  Albertans don’t want an aid package.  Albertans want to work.  It is the deliberate policies of this Liberal government, not forces beyond their control, that are holding back Alberta’s economy.  

Teck Frontier met every condition the Liberals asked for.  The experts, backed by science and evidence, recommended operations because it is in the national public interest.  The only thing left is a political decision.  

The Liberals need to stop using Alberta’s economic future as a bargaining chip and approve Teck Frontier.  The expert joint panel found that global emissions would increase if Teck Frontier not approved, because other countries’ oil production is more emissions-intensive. 

The Teck Frontier project has the support of local indigenous communities and received an expert science-based recommendation for approval in July.  If approved, this project will create 7,000 much-needed construction jobs in Alberta, 2,500 ongoing jobs, and show the world Canada is open for business.  The ripple effect for all Canadians will follow negatively if rejected, and will roll positively for the environment and the economy if approved.

If the mine is rejected, it will put gasoline on the fire of the existing separation quest.  The deep anger is already there; all it takes is that spark.  If it goes off there is no turning back.  The Alberta Provincial government eventually will be forced to sponsor a "separation referendum" under the Clarity Act rules, just to calm things down and end the likely violence and sabotage across the country.  

It will be a civil war to be prevented by a legal referendum.  If it goes that far, the vote won’t even be close.  The only thing that can save such a bad situation, is by wise prevention.  Approve this mine and all other projects, based only upon environmental science and the economic models, and not upon Ottawa politics.  If this mine is rejected, sadly I predict that matters will get very ugly.  There may be no way to deal with the possible firestorm.