Pipeline decision looms

Photo: The Canadian Press

Pipes are seen at the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain facility in Edmonton, Alta.

The Liberal government's $4.5-billion gamble to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline in a bid to get it expanded will come to a head on Tuesday when the federal cabinet decides whether to sign off on the project for a second time.

Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi says the decision is coming by Tuesday after official consultations with affected Indigenous communities wrapped up earlier this month.

It's been more than 290 days since the Federal Court of Appeal ripped up the original approval and sent the government back to the drawing board.

The court said the government hadn't done a proper consultation with affected Indigenous communities and it failed to take into account the impact the project would have on marine life off the coast of British Columbia.

The National Energy Board has since taken another look at the marine shipping impacts and recommended the project proceed again, along with 16 new conditions.

The project to triple the capacity of the existing pipeline is a political lightning rod for the federal Liberals, who are trying to find a way to appease both the energy sector and environmental groups.