West Coast Oil Ports Inquiry (Canada) : The West Coast Oil Ports Inquiry was established under Order in Council P.C. 597, 10 March 1977, under Part I of the Inquiries Act (R.S.C., 1970, c.I-13) and on the recommendation of the Minister of Fisheries and Environment, and the Minister of Transport, as amended by the following Orders in Council: P.C. 1890, 30 June 1977, P.C. 2149, 28 July 1977, and P.C. 3687, 22 December 1977. The Commission was mandated to (a) inquire into and report upon: (i) the social and environmental impact regionally (including the impact on fisheries) that could result from the establishment of a marine tanker route and construction of a marine terminal (deep water oil port) at Kitimat, B.C.; (ii) navigational safety and related matters associated with the establishment of a marine tanker route and construction of a marine terminal at Kitimat, B.C.; and (iii) the broader Canadian concerns and issues related to oil tanker movements on the West Coast as might be affected by the Kitimat Pipeline Ltd., Trans Mountain Pipeline Company Ltd., and other proposals; and (b) report upon representations made concerning the terms and conditions which should be imposed, if authority is given to establish a marine terminal at Kitimat, on the size, construction and operation thereof and on the size, construction and operation of tankers in the approaches thereto. The commissioner was Andrew R. Thompson. The secretary was Lori M. Lewis.
Following the Arab embargo of October 1973, the Government of Canada began to phase out the export of Canadian crude oil to the United States. In order to replace this supply, the United States wanted to import crude oil from Alaska, Indonesia, and the Persian Gulf to west coast terminals, and trans-ship it to the American mid-west. This led to several proposals all of which were of great concern to residents of British Columbia.
For example, in December 1976, Kitimat Pipelines Ltd. applied to the National Energy Board for permission to construct a deep sea oil port at Kitimat. Further, the Company proposed a 753 mile pipeline for the transmission of crude oil from Kitimat to Edmonton. The oil would be trans-shipped from Edmonton through another pipeline to the mid-western United States. In June 1977, the Kitimat proposal was held in abeyance pending the outcome of an application by Trans Mountain. In January 1978, Kitimat Pipelines Ltd. made a further submission to the Government of Canada for an oil terminal at Kitimat but it was turned down because the government saw no need for one.
On 30 May 1977, Trans Mountain Pipeline Ltd. filed an application with the National Energy Board for approval of a plan for expansion of docking facilities at Atlantic Richfield's Cherry Point refinery in the State of Washington, and a link up of this facility to Trans Mountain's pipeline system in Canada. This would allow crude oil to be transported from Edmonton to the west coast, and from Cherry Point to Edmonton, on an "alternating flow" basis. From Edmonton, the oil could then be pumped by another pipeline to the mid-western United States. In October 1977, Trans Mountain's plan was dropped because the American Congress ruled that the expansion of the terminal at Cherry Point was environmentally unacceptable.
Another proposal, that of Northern Tier Pipeline, called for the construction of a pipeline to carry crude oil from a terminal in Port Angeles, Washington, across the Northern United States to the northern tier states. When the Government of Canada turned down the Kitimat submission early in 1978, the Commissioner for the West Coast Oil Ports Inquiry, Andrew Thompson, expected Northern Tier Pipeline to go ahead with its scheme. Before Northern Tier went ahead, however, Thompson wanted another public inquiry to look into all aspects of it in so far as Canada would be affected.
The proposals for the construction of oil terminals along the west coast caused a certain amount of apprehension to residents of British Columbia. Many were opposed to the expected increase in oil tanker traffic, and were fearful of a major oil spill occurring. In February 1977, a newspaper reporter for the Vancouver Province wrote about the danger of oil shipments to Kitimat as follows:
"the proposal has generated major opposition from environmental groups because the tankers bringing the oil from Alaska would have to navigate some of the most treacherous waters on the B.C. coast. An oil spill would devastate the area's fisheries and shoreline, say the environmentalists."
The West Coast Oil Ports Inquiry was set up in March 1977 specifically to investigate the Kitimat proposal. It was later expanded to study the proposal of Trans Mountain, and any other proposal but was terminated on 31 March 1978. On 23 February 1978, the Government of Canada determined that there is "no need for a west coast oil port now or in the foreseeable future..." But, as far as the Commissioner was concerned, the inquiry was incomplete because the evidence gathered was untested by questioning or counter-evidence. (See: Vancouver Province, 11 February 1977; Interim Submission of Commission Counsel, West Coast Oil Ports Inquiry, Commissioner Dr. Andrew R. Thompson, December 1977, Vancouver, West Coast Oil Ports Inquiry, 1977, pp. 5, 12 and 29-31; and Final Report, dated 30 March 1978, which consists of correspondence of Andrew R. Thompson, Commissioner, to the Hon. Romeo LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries and the Environment, and the Hon. Otto Lang, Minister of Transport, RG 33/116, vol. 23).
Hearings of the commission were held in Vancouver from 18 to 20 July; from 26 September to 4 November; and from 13 to 15 December 1977. In addition, community hearings were held from 22 to 23 July in Namu and from 17 October to 26 November in Mount Currie, Lillooet, Steveston and Sooke. Evidence was heard from individuals and groups with knowledge about the economy, the environment, and ecological and social conditions. RG33-116 General Inventory
