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On Monday 29 August, TransCanada鈥檚 Energy East pipeline hearing in Montreal (Canada) was quickly cancelled after protesters made their way into the board room, forcing the National Energy Board (NEB) commissioners to leave.

The CAN$15.7 billion proposed 4600 km pipeline will transport 1.1 million bpd of oil from the Alberta oilsands and Saskatchewan, to Canada鈥檚 east coast.

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, who was set to address the panel first, described the meeting as a 鈥榗ircus鈥�.

Jim Carr, Federal Natural Resources Minister, apologised on behalf of the review process, stating: "Whatever their point of view might be, we think they should all have a right to say it. And if there were circumstances that didn't allow people to speak on a very important national subject, I'm sorry about that."

Later on in the day, the NEB issued a statement, explaining that the hearings on 30 August would be postponed too.

NEB Director, Jean-Denis Charlebois, announced: 鈥淚n light of this morning鈥檚 events, we have no choice but to cancel today鈥檚 hearings. We want to ensure that we can proceed in an efficient manner, but most importantly in a safe manner for everyone involved.鈥�

The NEB statement released also noted: "Our first priority at any hearing is always the safety of all participants, including the public, our staff and our board members. Our goal for the panel sessions was to provide an opportunity for intervenors to ask questions about the Energy East application and share what matters most to them in a respectful, courteous and safe environment. Unfortunately, that is not what happened today. Disruptions, such as those that occurred this morning, prevent intervenors from sharing their views and asking their questions."

Nevertheless, Duane Bratt, Political Scientist at Mount Royal University, believes people will cast a decision on the pipeline depending on whether the individual鈥檚 region falls within the oil industry or not.

鈥淪ome people are saying, 鈥榣ook we support the pipeline just build it somewhere else鈥�. You also have groups who say, 鈥榳e don鈥檛 want any pipeline built anywhere because we want to shut down the oilsands鈥�. [Yet, Parliament will] have to make a call, and whatever decision they make is going to upset a certain group of people,鈥� Bratt says.

The hearings are scheduled to finish in December 2016, and the NEB is expected to submit its report by March 2017.

Edited from various sources by

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Read the article online at: /project-news/30082016/protestors-storm-energy-east-pipeline-hearing/