North Bay Fire Chief Grant Love appears in a recently released YouTube video supporting TransCanada's Energy East proposal. Love is presently on extended vacation and will retire in January.
The video runs 1:35 and talks about co-operation between the department and the energy company.
"I'd say TransCanada has shown us that they are definitely committed to safety. They’ve gone above and beyond in trying to show us exactly what it is that they want to do and how they would do it, and if we have any questions they’re always open and honest with their answers,” says Love who presently remains on the city payroll.
The video appears to contradict the official city message being sent by Mayor Al McDonald about concerns the pipeline may pose a threat to North Bay's water supply. McDonald will appear at the pipeline hearings.
The Energy East project is a 4,500 km pipeline that will transport 1.1 million barrels of oil per day from Alberta and Saskatchewan to the refineries of Eastern Canada and a marine terminal in New Brunswick.
National Energy Board hearings in Montreal on the pipeline were cancelled in August after protesters swept into the meeting room. The second day of hearings, scheduled for the following day were also postponed, and no new date has been set.
"This decision was made in light of a violent disruption in the hearing room this morning which threatened the security of everyone involved in the panel session," the NEB said in a statement.
The hearing is adjourned until new Hearing Panel is appointed
"All three Panel Members have decided to recuse themselves in order to preserve the integrity of the National Energy Board and of the Energy East and Eastern Mainline Review," says the NEB statement. "The Members acted in good faith, and have pledged not to discuss these two applications with either other Board members or Board staff."
Once a new panel is appointed, the review of the two project applications can and will proceed.
