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Premier Brad Wall and other western leaders slammed the idea of a court injunction, saying Quebec has no right to interfere with a federally-regulated project.

Inside Quebec, however, there were echoes of support for the move. Montreal’s mayor applauded the province’s action. Coderre said TransCanada has not been clear in response to many concerns the city has voiced about the possible environmental impacts of the project.

“We want to see complete environmental impact studies on this project,” Coderre said Tuesday. “There are more than 800 water sources that this project would touch.”

Coderre said he and other area mayors have spoken out against the project because of concerns over the route chosen, safety precautions that will be taken, the contingency plan, and the overall greenhouse gases that would be created as a result of the production.

Atchison, who often shies away from commenting on matters outside of his jurisdiction, said Wednesday that he feels the need to show support for the project in the wake of the opposition drummed up by Coderre.

“With a lot of families dependent on the energy sector, I think they want to know where the mayor stands on that,” Atchison said.

— with Montreal Gazette files from Jason Magder and The Canadian Press