Canada Pushes Ahead with Pipeline Despite Orcas' Plight

The Canadian government is moving forward with plans to build a new oil pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia, despite concerns over its impact on endangered orcas.

The federal government has designated the project as a 'national interest' under the Building Canada Act, which allows for special treatment and exemptions from environmental laws.

This move has raised concerns that the government may override assessments that find the pipeline poses a risk to the southern resident killer whale population.

Less than 75 of these orcas remain in the Salish Sea, where the pipeline would terminate at the Roberts Bank port terminal. Environmental groups have long warned that underwater noise from vessels is a major threat to their survival.

The British Columbia government has dropped its opposition to the pipeline, but environmentalists are skeptical that the necessary balance can be struck between economic and environmental considerations.