City of Burnaby to challenge Trans Mountain pipeline route in court

The court battles aren’t over when it comes to the Trans Mountian pipeline.

The City of Burnaby says it is going to a Federal Court of Appeal to challenge the National Energy Board (NEB)’s approval of Kinder Morgan’s chosen route for the proposed pipeline through the municipality.

The NEB held a detailed route hearing back in January.

The federal government approved the 1,147-kilometre route back in November 2016 — however, detailed route hearings were still required to decide on the exact placement of the line.

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Burnaby argues that the pipeline company had intentionally routed the line through parks and city greenways, and ignored their economic and environmental value to residents.

The city also argues Kinder Morgan backtracked on a promise to use undersurface drilling in the Brunette River Conservation Area.

“We are encouraged by the fact that one member of the NEB board did express a dissenting view, recognizing that Kinder Morgan moved away from commitments made to mitigate damage in the Brunette River Conservation Area,” said Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan in a statement.

WATCH: New hearings begin on route of Trans Mountain pipeline

1:47 New hearings begin on route of Trans Mountain pipeline

“Because we know that this route would do serious damage to many areas of our city, we will continue to fight it through the courts.”

Global News has requested comment from Trans Mountain.

Back in March, Burnaby lost another court appeal over the pipeline.

Burnaby had sought to challenge the NEB’s overruling of local bylaws that would have prevented the company from cutting down trees, drilling boreholes and using heavy machinery at a pair of work sites.

Earlier Thursday, B.C. pipeline opponents faced another legal setback in BC Supreme Court.

The court dismissed petitions from the Squamish First Nation and the City of Vancouver seeking to quash the pipeline’s provincial environmental assessment certificate.

— With files from The Canadian Press