As part of our efforts to provide open and timely information, we regularly answer email and phone inquiries from the public. In 2017, on average, we received 170 unique calls and emails every month. Here are the most frequently asked questions from this past year.
I’m interested in working on the Expansion Project. How do I apply?
The majority of hiring for the Project will be done by the contractors responsible for building the pipeline and facilities and interested applicants are encouraged to submit their resumes directly to the selected contractors for their area of interest. You can view a list of the contractors, including their contact information, on our website at www.transmountain.com/jobs.
Stantec and WorleyParsons will be overseeing construction monitoring and inspection (CMI) services and will be responsible for hiring a majority of the jobs related to inspections, compliance and health & safety. To express your interest in working with either Stantec or WorleyParsons, please complete the online form and we will share your information with them.
All current opportunities with the Trans Mountain Expansion Project team and Kinder Morgan Canada are posted on Kinder Morgan Canada’s website. We encourage you to visit the Kinder Morgan website to view current opportunities available and apply by submitting your resume online.
Our company would like to supply goods to the Expansion Project. How do we get on your vendor list?
Contractors, hired directly by Trans Mountain, will largely conduct the procurement of goods and services for Project construction. Trans Mountain and the selected contractors will work closely to identify the existing business capacities that reside in the Aboriginal, local and regional communities along the Project corridor.
Businesses are encouraged to contact the selected contractors directly to inquire about available procurement opportunities. You can view a list of the contractors, including their contact information here.
Why do you have a large floating fence surrounding your Westridge Marine Terminal?
Safety on land and water is always Trans Mountain’s top priority. Our construction activities at Westridge will be undertaken with the safety of workers, our neighbours and the marine community first and foremost. Typical of waterfront construction, most activities will occur from the water using floating equipment such as ship-mounted cranes, barges, tugs and work boats. In order to protect workers and marine waterway users in the area, the work area for Westridge is defined by a floating construction safety boom within a defined construction safety zone. You can learn more about this important safety measure here.
Has the pipeline route been set?
When the Trans Mountain Expansion Project was approved, on November 29, 2016, with an approved pipeline corridor, the subsequent process of deciding the exact route of the pipeline began before the National Energy Board (NEB). This process is known as the detailed route approval process.
In November 2017, the NEB began Detailed Route Hearings in Alberta for Segment 1 and 2 of the Expansion Project and hearings for the subsequent segments will be held in 2018. These hearings provide an opportunity for landowners and those potentially affected by the Project, who are granted a route hearing by the NEB, to share their concerns about the proposed detailed route. You can learn more about the Detail Route Hearing process here.
What are you doing to ensure your marine operations are safe?
Trans Mountain has proposed additional risk controls and enhancements, which build on the current robust marine safety regime in the region. Some of these measures include:
- Port Metro Vancouver will establish a shipping channel for East Burrard Inlet,east of the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing (Second Narrows Bridge)
- Laden tanker tug escort will be expanded to cover the entire tanker shipping route through the Strait of Georgia and between Race Rocks and the 12 nautical mile marker to assist with navigation
- Pilot disembarkation will be extended to take place near Race Rocks further west than the pilot boarding station on Brotchie Ledge in Victoria (pilots have been trained to disembark by helicopter)
- Enhanced Situational Awareness techniques will be applied that will require:
- Safety calls by pilots and masters of laden tankers
- Notices to industry issued by Pacific Pilotage Authority
- Tactical use of escort tug along shipping route
- Boating safety engagement and awareness program led by Pacific Pilotage Authority
Find out more about the additional proposed marine safety enhancements.
Does diluted bitumen sink or float?
Products carried in the Trans Mountain system must meet criteria for density (max 0.94) and viscosity (350 cst). That maximum density of 0.94 means that diluted bitumen is less dense than fresh water (density 1.00) and seawater (density 1.03). In fact, diluted bitumen (or dilbit) has the same spill-recovery characteristics as conventional heavy oil. More information on diluted bitumen can be found here.
Why did you install snow fencing to deter salmon from spawning in some waterways?
Trans Mountain’s environmental team temporarily installed snow fencing flat down onto some sections of streambed that are intersected by the pipeline construction right-of-way and sections immediately downstream. The mats were installed in order to prevent adverse impacts to fish that may otherwise arise from Project construction activities originally scheduled to take place in early 2018.
Fish, such as chinook, coho, rainbow and bull trout, look for suitable gravel sections of stream bed when they’re ready to build their redds, or nests. The snow fencing serves as a “deterrent mat” atop gravel beds they might otherwise choose to lay their eggs in. When the fish encounter the mats they find the area unsuitable and simply move further upstream to spawn. The mats only deter the fish from spawning in the immediate area where construction will take place.
Once the spawning season was complete, the mats were removed. You can learn more about this initiative here.
Do you have a question? Email us at [email protected].
