A bill introduced in the Alberta legislature earlier this year that could shut off the province’s oil taps to BC was passed this afternoon.

Entitled “Preserving Canada’s Economic Prosperity Act” and officially known as Bill 12, the government said the purpose of the bill is meant to give the province the power it needs to to restrict the export of crude oil, natural gas and refined fuels into BC.

And while the process still requires that the bill receive Royal Assent before it’s officially proclaimed, once that is received, the bill can become enacted.

Bill 12 passes third and final reading in the Alberta legislature (Just corrected my earlier tweet. It turns out one MLA voted against Bill 12. Sorry about that) #ableg #bcpoli — MichelleBellefontaine (@MBellefontaine) May 16, 2018

Both Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Alberta’s Premier Rachel Notley have expressed their disdain for BC Premier John Horgan’s opposition to the pipeline project, with Nenshi most recently calling Horgan “one of the worst politicians that we’ve seen in Canada in decades.”

“Horgan knows that he’s not going to win in court, he knows that he’s not going to win the plight of public opinion, he’s hoping to scare away the investors,” Nenshi said.

“If the federal and provincial governments have to backstop that in order to not scare away the investors, then that has to happen.”

Notley has been at odds with Horgan since late January, when the BC government announced its plans to introduce legislation that, if successfully passed, would give it the power to restrict the amount of bitumen that flows to the province’s shores — essentially halting the Trans Mountain Pipeline in its tracks.

More to come as this develops…

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