Article content

CALGARY – Alberta Premier Rachel Notley cheered a court victory for the $7.4-billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion Monday, which upholds the project’s ability to sidestep local permitting processes in cities opposed to the pipeline.

The Federal Court of Appeal declined late on Friday to hear an appeal by the government of B.C. and a handful of opposed municipalities of a ruling by the National Energy Board, which allowed Kinder Morgan Canada to seek construction permits for the pipeline directly from Canada’s pipeline regulator.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 'The court wouldn't even hear it': B.C. loses Trans Mountain appeal in federal court in 'definitive' victory Back to video

“It wasn’t that we won the decision, it was the court wouldn’t even hear it. So it was a pretty definitive victory for the pipeline and for the people of Alberta and Canada,” Notley said Monday.

Photo by Shaughn Butts/Postmedia

Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd. had been granted permission to get permits directly from the NEB because Burnaby hadn’t cooperated in granting local construction permits for the project. The company’s shares rose 1 per cent on the Toronto Stock Exchange in mid-afternoon trading.