Calgary

B.C.'s request for injunction against Alberta turn-off-the-taps law delayed 1 month

B.C.'s request for an injunction against Alberta's Bill 12, which would allow the province to restrict shipments of oil and gas to B.C., has been delayed one month.

Hearing has been tentatively rescheduled for June 6

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, right, has said he doesn't intend to use Bill 12 against B.C. and Premier John Horgan, left, yet. The B.C. government's request for an injunction against the bill has been delayed. (CBC/Reuters)

B.C.'s request for an injunction against Alberta's Bill 12, which would allow the province to restrict shipments of oil and gas to B.C., has been delayed one month.

B.C. Attorney General David Eby's office confirmed the hearing has been tentatively rescheduled for June 6. The hearing was originally scheduled to be held at the Calgary Courts Centre Tuesday morning.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney enacted the bill into law on April 30, shortly after he and his new cabinet were sworn in.

In response, B.C. filed legal paperwork at Alberta's Court of Queen's Bench for an injunction and constitutional challenge on May 1.

Kenney has said the new law will only be used as a last resort if B.C. continues to block the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion. 

Bill 12, commonly referred to as the turn-off-the-taps legislation, requires exporters to obtain licences and gives Alberta's energy minister the power to decide how much fuel is exported, how it's transported — by pipeline, rail or tanker truck — and whether direct shipments should be stopped altogether.

It was introduced by the NDP and was given royal assent last year.