Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
British Columbia

B.C. communities seek compensation for road wear caused by Trans Mountain pipeline expansion

The Simpcw First Nation, Valemount and Clearwater, B.C., are in the early stages of assessing compensation for the wear and tear on their roads caused by the project's heavy trucks.

'We will be submitting them an invoice,' says Mayor Owen Torgerson of Valemount, B.C.

Winston Szeto · CBC News ·
A wide shot of a pipeline in a trench with heavy cranes above and beside it leading toward distant mountains under a pale blue sky streaked with clouds.
Workers are pictured laying a pipe during construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project in Abbotsford, B.C., in May 2023. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

Leaders from three B.C. communities situated along the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX) are preparing to seek compensation from the federal government for wear and tear on their roads caused by the project, expected to be completed this year.

Valemount Mayor Owen Torgerson, along with Clearwater Mayor Merlin Blackwell and Simpcw First Nation Chief George Lampreau, told CBC News that they are in the early stages of determining how much money they will request from Trans Mountain, a federal Crown corporation, to address the wear and tear on roads in their communities resulting from the passage of construction trucks.

"We're currently compiling what those numbers might look like," Torgerson told guest host Doug Herbert on CBC's Daybreak Kamloops. 

"We will be submitting them an invoice, and if it is not paid, we'll be forwarding that to our member of Parliament, who can forward it right to the prime minister."

A man with a beard stands in a suit, tie and shirt, standing in front of a road.
Valemount Mayor Owen Torgerson is one of the three B.C. community leaders preparing to seek compensation from the Trans Mountain corporation for road damages caused by the pipeline expansion project. (Betsy Trumpener/CBC)

Heavy trucks passing through communities

The TMX project, approved by Ottawa in 2019, involves the twinning of the existing 1,150-kilometre oil pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby. 

Trans Mountain Corporation reported in March this year that the estimated $31 billion TMX project was nearly 80 per cent complete, and the new pipeline is anticipated to become operational in the first quarter of 2024.

Map
The expanded Trans Mountain pipeline runs from Edmonton to Burnaby, passing through B.C. Interior communities including Valemount, Clearwater, Kamloops and Merritt. (Trans Mountain Corporation)

The corporation says on its website that it has been working with First Nations and communities along the construction route to minimize disruptions caused by the project, such as noise, light pollution, dust and truck traffic. 

However, it doesn't reference damage to the roads from commercial vehicles using the project.

Blackwell says it's an issue.

"A lot of heavy ones…loaded [with] welding rigs [have been] driving around our neighbourhoods, a lot of extra [weight] beyond what we would normally see, so there is a lot of wear and tear," he told Daybreak Kamloops.

A man with a light red beard and blond hair in a blue open-collared shirt smiles at the camera framed by the forest behind him.
Clearwater Mayor Merlin Blackwell acknowledged the heavy industrial truck traffic passing through his community and the impact on the roads. (Tina Lovgreen/CBC)

CBC News reached out to Trans Mountain Corporation for comment, and it said it would respond in due course.

Some municipalities report no major road impacts

However, Merritt Mayor Mike Goetz said the trucks mostly use the Coquihalla Highway bypassing the city, and it hasn't been a problem for Merritt.

"A lot of our main roads were never touched.

"If you talked to some of the farmers and ranchers around here, you'd find out that some of the roads got abused a little bit more than they preferred, but we had no road problems, no congestion problems or anything like that," Goetz said on CBC's Daybreak Kamloops.

Kamloops Coun. Mike O'Reilly agreed that heavy trucks used in the TMX project haven't caused as much damage to roads in his city compared to smaller communities.

"Where you see in smaller communities is there's basically one main road that everybody has to take.

"Everybody knows the transportation highway network that runs through Kamloops, so the heavy equipment would just run on short spans," O'Reilly told Daybreak Kamloops.

A heavy truck carrying long green pipe sits on a brown gravel surface.
Officials from larger communities such as Merritt and Kamloops said heavy trucks used in the pipeline expansion project mostly run on highways and rarely pass along roads within their cities. (Terry Reith/CBC)

Despite the wear and tear on transportation infrastructure caused by TMX trucks, the mayors of Valemount and Clearwater admitted that the project has attracted more people to their communities, stimulating their economies.

Lampreau highlighted the numerous job opportunities the TMX project has created for residents on the Simpcw reserve. 

"We like to take advantage of the opportunities and be a participant in the economy in a positive way."

With files from Doug Herbert and Daybreak Kamloops

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices|About CBC News
Corrections and clarifications|Submit a news tip|

Related Stories