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Albertans desperately awaiting economic relief from new pipelines must have been unsure how to feel this week as the federal Liberal government announced it was green-lighting, again, the Trans Mountain expansion project.

For some reason, the analogy that came to mind was the plight of diehard Oilers fans, watching the team stockpile high draft picks and then waiting for the overdue breakthrough.

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Sure, the potential is enticing, but it’s hard to get excited after so many years of unmet expectations. Until the wins start flowing, the clenching will continue.

Cautious optimism

That at least seemed to be the general demeanour of Premier Jason Kenney, who wasn’t cracking any smiles about the latest milestone for a project vital not only to the Alberta economy’s resurgence, but to his own government’s hopes of climbing out of deficit sometime in the next decade.

The caution was undoubtedly in part due to lessons learned watching the Alberta NDP twice engage in premature victory dances, first in 2016 when Ottawa gave its initial approval, and again last year when the Trudeau government announced it was buying the pipeline.