Sarnia mayor worries trade war with Trump puts Line 5 pipeline at risk

The mayor of Sarnia said he’s concerned the future of an oil pipeline tied to thousands of jobs in the region could be at risk if Canada plays hard-ball with President Elect Donald Trump on energy exports.

The Line 5 pipeline, which runs under the Straits of Macinac in northern Michigan, connects western Canadian oil to refineries in Ontario.

While Michigan has attempted to decommission the pipeline, Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley has fought for several years to keep it operating.

Bradley told CTV News he’s worried that if Canada blocks energy exports to the U.S in retaliation for pending tariffs, Trump will, in turn, shut down the Enbridge-owned Line 5.

“Line 5 is very vulnerable. It’s been in the news for the last five years, fighting the governor of Michigan on this. And people say, ‘Well you’ve got a new president who’s coming in, who’s very pro-pipeline.’ He’s very pro-American pipeline, not Canadian pipelines. So that was my message. This energy export debate has to be handled very, very carefully because in the end, we could be the losers,” said Bradley.

Bradley expressed his concerns in a meeting Tuesday with Ontario Energy Minister Stephen Lecce.