56 BCBusiness december 2014
There was a spill in Gainford, Wabamun (where the lake was con-
taminated), Fox Creek, Mitsue, they say. "If you're for safety and the
environment, you'd want a pipeline," Mathieu says. "Yes, we're in the
oil and gas industry, but because we are, we see the safety aspect."
The worry is shared at the nearby Mayerthorpe Town Office.
Inside, Mayor Kate Patrick, 70, is clear about her personal stakes in
Gateway. She owns and farms 4.5 square kilometres of land bisected
by pipelines and can't understand the kerfuffle. She says five other
pipelines are planned for the same right of way as Gateway.
The big concern for Patrick is the oil currently coming through
Mayerthorpe by rail. The tracks run right through the town, and
trains cross two small trestle bridges. Patrick and the town council
asked CN to come to Mayerthorpe earlier this spring and answer
questions, which they did. "They assured us they'd reduce their
speed [through town] to 10 miles per hour," Patrick says.
In February, before Gateway received federal approval, Mayer-
thorpe's town council issued a statement supporting the project. Still,
Patrick says the pipe is planned to route 3.5 kilometres outside the
town's corporate limits, meaning there will be no direct tax revenues.
Instead, she says, Gateway would mean temporary and permanent
jobs, and the diversification of the economy.
" If you're for safety and the
environment, you'd want
a pipeline. Yes, we're in the
oil and gas industry, but
because we are, we see the
safety aspect"
—Sally Mathieu
Bentley's family restaurant,
mayerthorpe.
