The National Energy Board (NEB) has approved reversal of flow and increased capacity of the aging pipeline to 300,000 barrels a day (up from 240,000 barrels a day). The limited conditions the NEB attached to this approval allow Line 9 to be "safe and environmentally sensitive", with no thorough environmental assessment required.

However, the 830-kilometer Line 9, now set to run from Sarnia ON to Montreal QC, passes through north Toronto and has become an issue for Toronto councilor Mike Layton, who initiated the motion for the environmental assessment. Toronto's expanding suburbs are now much more affected by Line 9 than when it was first constructed 38 years ago. Two similar motions put forth by Councilor David Shiner called for Enbridge to release more details about its plans with regards to emergency response and testing in the Toronto municipality.

"People in our communities have a right to know where these pipelines are and any work proposed on them," Shiner said.

Shiner stated he believes that the provincial government is avoiding the matter altogether, and is fully capable of conducting an environmental assessment. Nevertheless the Ontario government remains firm in its position that this issue is purely federal.

"It would be up to the federal government to determine whether or not they would want to proceed with a federal environmental assessment," said Lyndsay Miller, spokesperson for Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley.

View April 3, 2014 The Star article
View March 28, 2014 The Star article
View March 6, 2014 CBC News article
Visit Stop Line 9 website
View Environment Defence Line 9 - Tar Sands page
View National Energy Board Line 9B Reversal and Line 9 Capacity Expansion Project page
View Line 9 Communities Local Maps page