The District of Clearwater and the Trans Mountain Expansion Project have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding for a Community Benefit Agreement that will see a $390,000 contribution toward funding various community projects and local education and training opportunities.

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 agreement with Trans Mountain will allow us to further a number of works in our community that we have identified as priorities,” said John Harwood, Mayor of Clearwater. “Overall, there will be impacts to the District should this project move ahead and this agreement would be one of the positive impacts to our community. With this MOU we could see new investment in the community resulting from the Trans Mountain Project.”

“We want to ensure the communities we operate in are recognized for impacts of project construction,” said Ian Anderson, President of Kinder Morgan Canada. “Providing direct investment to our pipeline communities is part of our commitment to maximizing benefits of the Expansion. With this agreement, we will add to the investment we are making locally to provide community improvements and help make local education and training programs accessible for the people who live and work in Clearwater.”

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.

Agreements now encompass the majority of pipeline construction communities along the corridor from Strathcona County, Alberta, to Hope, BC with a total value of $4.2 million, representing close to 1000 kilometers of the pipeline. Agreements were previously announced with Hope and Barriere in BC, as well as Hinton, Edson, Stony Plain and Strathcona County in Alberta. Additional agreements with municipalities and communities along the pipeline corridor are expected as project planning continues. Additional agreements with municipalities and communities along the pipeline corridor are expected as project planning continues. Learn more about the Community Benefits Program here.