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Letters: How should we pay for new pipelines?

Readers debate the financing of new pipelines, reining in gambling, renewing national pride, respect for the trades and much more

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Two views on funding for pipelines

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Re: Why Governments Will Pay For A Pipeline, July 8; Canada Can’t Afford Another Unbuilt Pipeline, Bryan Brulotte, July 13. Why shouldn’t governments pay for a pipeline? Who paid for our national railways? Who paid for the Gordie Howe Bridge? Who paid for our network of highways? Who paid for our airports? Who paid for the St. Lawrence Seaway? Who paid for our ferry services on the East and West Coasts? In every case, governments put up the money to finance construction and users subsequently reimbursed our governments over time.

Letters: How should we pay for new pipelines? Back to video

Why should oil pipelines be any different? Private enterprise attempted to build the Trans Mountain pipeline and failed. Only when the federal government stepped in was that project completed. This may seem strange, but once governments commit to paying for these major projects, then the various authorities fall in line and grant all necessary approvals for construction to proceed. It seldom works any other way. Only later when the economics are pretty much set in stone and all the land has been assembled can governments privatize major transportation networks.Patrick Cowan, North York, Ont.

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Energy and Resources Minister Tim Hodgson’s statement that the new pipeline “is a good investment for Canadian taxpayers” stands unique in its lack of credibility.

There is no doubt that a new pipeline from Alberta will probably contribute to the maintenance of national unity, but it will do nothing to relieve the pain of constantly raising taxes generated by the need to borrow money to pay for it. The abandoned Kinder Morgan pipeline (now the Trans Mountain pipeline) was originally estimated to cost $5 billion. The government spent $4.5 billion to take over the project, with its total construction cost climbing to approximately $34 billion. It is now apparently making money. How much money, you might ask, is it making and what benefit has it created for Canadian taxpayers?

Now that the Canadian and Alberta governments have conceded that 90 per cent of the cost for........

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