Bruderheim, Alberta, is once again in the national spotlight after a pipeline announcement that could bring billions of dollars in oil revenue to the small Lamont County town. But for local leaders, the excitement is tempered by memories of previous pipeline projects that were canceled.
Pipeline Announcement Surprises Town Officials
On Thursday, Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a Pacific Coast pipeline that would follow the existing Trans Mountain corridor, aiming to reduce Canada's dependence on U.S. markets and address northern environmental concerns. The news caught Bruderheim officials off guard during a regular council meeting.
“It caught us by surprise. We were in the regular council meeting, and then all of a sudden our name is plastered nationwide,” said Mayor Ron Ewasiuk. “We’re reaching out to find out as much as we can, as well. My councillors are all spinning their wheels, wanting to talk to the MLA, because we don’t have all the answers. This is new to us and we’re gathering information as well.”
History of Pipeline Disappointments
Bruderheim has been promised major pipelines before. In 2012, the Keystone pipeline was set to run from Bruderheim to the Gulf Coast of Texas. In 2016, the Federal Court of Appeal overturned approval for the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline from Bruderheim to Kitimat, British Columbia, following protests.
“It’s disappointing when they’re canceled, because it does take a little bit of wind out of your sails,” Ewasiuk recalled. “We always look for the part that maybe it will give us some growth, and when the projects get canceled, we’re disappointed, but we didn’t have a lot of money invested in it, so we’ve taken it with a grain of salt, and we just move on. We don’t get our hopes up too high.”
Cautious Optimism Prevails
The town’s mantra is “cautious optimism.” Ewasiuk emphasized that significant hurdles remain, particularly in British Columbia, involving government and Indigenous agreements. “We said, ‘Oh, OK, you know, if this pipeline could possibly happen, and again, there’s still a lot of hurdles to go through in B.C. with it, and you know those are the agreements between the governments and the Indigenous and whoever else is involved, and so there’s a lot of work to be done yet. We’re excited, but cautiously optimistic,” he said.
Bruderheim, whose name means “home of the brethren” in German, last saw this level of attention in 1960 when Canada’s largest meteorite crashed into a farmer’s field. Now, the town watches closely as the pipeline proposal moves forward, ready for potential growth but wary of past disappointments.
