Trans Mountain Pipeline has restarted, but B.C. gas rationing will remain in place for now, province says
The Trans Mountain Pipeline restarted Sunday, but the B.C. government says it's not yet ready to lift a fuel-rationing order for the southwestern part of the province.
Trans Mountain announced Saturday that it planned to resume operation of the pipeline after a nearly three-week precautionary shutdown prompted by the extreme weather that struck the province last month.
On Sunday, the company said the pipeline had "safely restarted," adding that crews would continue monitoring it from the ground, the air and the pipeline's control centre.
In a statement to CTV News Vancouver, Emergency Management B.C. said it was "encouraged" by the resumption of operations at the pipeline, which transports roughly 300,000 barrels of oil from Alberta to Burnaby each day under normal circumstances.
The closure of the pipeline - along with the damage to several major highways between the Lower Mainland and the B.C. Interior - was a primary reason that the provincial government introduced its fuel-rationing order.
The order applies to the southwestern portion of the province, including the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast and the Sea to Sky corridor, and limits drivers to 30 litres of gasoline per fill-up.
On Sunday, Emergency Management B.C. said the 30-litre limit would remain in place for the time being, despite the pipeline's restart.
"This will not be an immediate switch and will take time to resume normal operations," the agency said in its statement.
The fuel-rationing order was originally scheduled to end on Dec. 1, but it was extended two weeks, along with B.C.'s flood-related state of emergency, in late November.
It's unclear whether the 30-litre limit will remain in place through Dec. 14 as scheduled, but EMBC says it's staying for now.
"The fuel order will remain in effect to prioritize essential vehicles and will be reevaluated as the Province continues to recover from the recent weather events," the agency said.
"We all must continue to do our part and limit our fuel consumption and take transit when possible. British Columbians have stepped up in big ways and we are confident this can continue for the next little while."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.