TORONTO – The final day of hearings on a proposal to reverse the flow of a pipeline that runs between southern Ontario and Montreal have been cancelled due to security concerns.
Enbridge was to make its final submissions Saturday to the National Energy Board on its plan to reverse Line 9 and increase the pipeline’s capacity to move crude oil.
But the board says the way Friday’s hearings ended raised concerns about the security of participants for the final day.
Protesters crowded outside the entrance to the hearing site at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre that day, and another rally was planned for Saturday afternoon.
It’s unclear when Enbridge will present its closing arguments.
The panel heard this week from interveners stating the reversal would put First Nations communities at risk, threaten water supplies and could endanger vulnerable species in ecologically sensitive areas.
Jan Morrissey of a Toronto residents’ group showed up for the hearings and says she’s disappointed she won’t get to hear Enbridge’s final statement on the pipeline reversal.
“It’s sort of like reading a book and not getting to see the last chapter,” she said Saturday.
Enbridge has also asked for permission to move different types of oil, including a heavier form of crude.
