The District of Barriere and the Trans Mountain Expansion Project have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding for a Community Benefit Agreement that will see a $290,000 contribution towards improvements in Barriere. Trans Mountain has been pursuing Community Benefit Agreements with those along the pipeline corridor to provide direct benefits to communities if the proposed expansion project is approved and constructed. This contribution by Trans Mountain will be used by the community towards upgrading bike and pedestrian trails; construction of a playground splash pad; provisioning and planting of trees; and funding for education to provide support to students in the trades, technology and environmental programs. This is the second Community Benefit Agreement signed along the proposed pipeline corridor.

“Our community is watching closely the progress of this proposed expansion project,” said Bill Humphreys, Mayor of Barriere. “If this project is approved for construction, there will be impacts to those living in this region. This investment announced today recognizes the impact and is in addition to the other contributions we see the company makes to our region today and into the future.”

“It is critical to myself and our team to see that construction impacts along the route are addressed with the communities we operate in,” said Ian Anderson, President of Kinder Morgan Canada. “Today we pay $5.65M in taxes to the Thompson Nicola Regional District and should our project be approved, our annual contribution to the District will be over $13M. Today’s $290,000 investment is reflective of the impacts our expansion work will have in this region, in addition to the taxation amounts we pay each year.”

Kinder Morgan values the relationships it has with the communities along its existing pipeline system and the proposed pipeline project; these span over more than 60 years of history. This agreement was signed as part of an overall effort underway by Kinder Morgan Canada to work with pipeline-affected communities to identify local opportunities to give something back in recognition of the public inconveniences and temporary disruption created by construction of the proposed expansion. Additional agreements with municipalities and communities along the pipeline corridor are expected over the coming months as project planning continues.