The town of St. Paul is seeking a joint council meeting with the County of St. Paul and the town of Elk Point to address how local emergency services would be involved in Pathways Alliance’s proposed carbon capture project.
Pathways Alliance, an association of Canada’s largest oilsands companies, has plans to build a $16 billion carbon capture pipeline and underground storage hub. This infrastructure will connect over 20 oil sands facilities across the Fort McMurray, Christina Lake, and Cold Lake regions to a carbon storage hub in the Lakeland area. A portion of the pipeline is proposed to run through the county of St. Paul.
During the August 26 council meeting, CAO Steven Jeffery briefed the council on ongoing negotiations with the county of St. Paul regarding a joint fire services agreement. Councilor Nathan Taylor raised concerns about emergency response planning for the Pathways Alliance project. Jeffery acknowledged that there has been no formal agreement yet with Pathways Alliance but noted that the community has suggested that the association invest in the necessary equipment for emergency response.
“I have relayed that; however, we’ve not had an actual engagement,” Jeffery stated.
Councilor Taylor proposed a regional joint council meeting involving St. Paul, Elk Point, and the county, with representation from Pathways Alliance to discuss emergency management concerns specifically. Taylor emphasized the importance of focusing on emergency response planning and suggested having Pathways come and present, with all councils given a chance to speak.
Taylor also pointed out that the St. Paul Fire Department, which serves the town and county, should be included in any discussions about emergency response, given its potential role as firs responders in the event of an incident. He noted that there seems to be a misunderstanding that only the county’s fire department would be involved. “It’s not our pipeline… but it’s our firefighters going out there,” Taylor remarked.
Mayor Maureen Mille concurred, stating that it is time to bring Pathways Alliance back to the table for further discussions. Jeffery confirmed that the matter would be raised with Fire Chief Trevor Kotowich and included in the agenda for the upcoming joint fire services contract negotiations.
