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Oh, right, because more oil is going by train now.

Yep. Alberta, because of a lack of pipeline capacity, is moving lots of oil by rail. The National Energy Board says some 286,000 barrels of oil per day were exported by rail in June 2019. It’s more expensive and more dangerous. And, because there was a huge backlog of oil barrels due to this lack of transport capacity, there was a big price discount on Alberta oil last year that the province has tried to tackle with a rail deal (that Kenney has promised to cancel) and a restriction on the amount of oil that’s produced each day.

You might remember that the Trans Mountain expansion was re-approved earlier this summer, after last summer, the Federal Court of Appeals put a halt on it, sending the government back to re-do its consultations on the matter. On Wednesday, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled it would hear a legal challenge — again — to the Trans Mountain pipeline construction.

When it does get up and running, Trans Mountain will transport nearly 600,000 more barrels per day than it does now.

However, it’s actually not known for sure what’s in those rail cars. The Canadian Pacific Railway declined to comment.

It could be oil, but other chemicals and substances are carried in tankers, too.

OK, but that crossing is a pain isn’t it?

It sure is! And, as it happens, it’s actually a government priority because the eight or so trains per day cause such strife. The federal government is contributing nearly $40 million to widen 50th Street and fix the rail crossing, among other improvements to the thoroughfare.