VANCOUVER -- Trans Mountain has terminated its contract with the company that it hired to construct two sections of its pipeline expansion project in Alberta and B.C.
SA Energy Group was hired in 2018 as the general contractor for three sections of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project, according to a news release from the time.
On Saturday, Trans Mountain confirmed to CTV News Vancouver via email that it had terminated its contract with the company for "Spread 1" and "Spread 4B," sections of the pipeline under construction in Greater Edmonton and B.C.'s North Thompson region, respectively.
"Alternative construction contractors will be confirmed for these spreads in the coming weeks," the company said in its statement.
SA Energy is also the contractor for Spread 6 of the project in B.C.'s Fraser Valley. Construction on that portion of the pipeline has not started, and SA Energy is still the contractor for that section, the company said.
All work on the pipeline expansion project has been temporarily suspended until Jan. 4 for what Trans Mountain calls a "safety stand down."
The company has said it is using this time to review its safety plans - including COVID-19 protocols - with all of its contractors and subcontractors.
The shutdown was announced just one day after a worker was seriously injured at a Trans Mountain construction site in Burnaby.
On Saturday, the company declined to say whether the termination of SA Energy's contract for Spreads 1 and 4B was related to the safety stand down or the worker's injury.
"We do not wish to comment on the terms of our contractual relationships with contractors," the company said in its email to CTV News. "What we can say is that Trans Mountain is committed to a strong culture of safety above all else and insist that our Project contractors and subcontractors are equally committed."
