This letter from Trans Mountain was originally published as an op-ed in the Rocky Mountain Goat during the month of October.

Trans Mountain has been operating across Alberta and British Columbia for 70 years. The original pipeline was built in 1953 and has been operating safely ever since. Since 2019, we’ve been actively building the Trans Mountain Expansion Project and are proud to be completing construction in the North Thompson region as part of this legacy Project for all Canadians.

Thank you for hosting our workforce and their families and for your patience during construction.

Two hundred and one kilometres of pipeline construction is now complete in the North Thompson region of British Columbia. Construction in this area, known as Spread 3/4A, includes five major trenchless crossings, totaling 3,059 metres, and two pump stations. The region was also home to two camp communities that provided accommodations to workers.

While pipeline construction is complete, smaller work crews will return to finish right-of-way cleanup and reclamation.

Trans Mountain values the relationships it has built with communities along the pipeline corridor over its 70-year history. During construction of the Expansion Project, we’ve given back to the region by funding various projects, local education and training opportunities, investing more than $850,000 into Valemount, Blue River and other communities in the Thompson Nicola Regional District.

As a result of a funding agreement with the Village of Valemount, Trans Mountain contributed $2.3 million to upgrading Valemount’s municipal water, sanitary sewer services and roads. These services helped minimize Project impacts, while providing a lasting benefit to the community. Trans Mountain also provided more than $1 million to the Valemount Health Centre towards hiring Registered Nurses in the region.

During construction, Trans Mountain and its general construction contractor, Ledcor Sicim Limited Partnership (LSLP), aimed to be good neighbours and gave back to the local communities. Employees joined softball, golf, and hockey leagues, while families enrolled in local schools and daycares. When planning the Expansion Project, Trans Mountain made a commitment to work with communities to minimize construction impacts, while maximizing local benefits. LSLP has given more than $685,000 in financial support and in-kind contributions back to the North Thompson; all this while safely building the Project.

Our camp communities in Valemount and Blue River are now closed and are being removed as weather permits.

Trans Mountain has many team members that continue to work and live in these communities. On top of local benefits, Trans Mountain will pay more than $3 million annually in local taxes after the Expansion Project is completed.

While our presence will be smaller with pipeline construction now complete, we look forward to staying good neighbours in the community and maintaining our positive relationship well into the future.