National Energy Board hearings in Montreal into the proposed $15.7-billion Energy East pipeline have been cancelled for the day after protesters interrupted proceedings soon after they began.
A group of protesters entered the room where the hearings were taking place and one man ran to the table where the hearing commissioners were seated and almost knocked the table over.
Protesters inside the NEB Energy East pipeline hearing, demanding board members step down. pic.twitter.com/Qs7ck6SwMj
NEB commissioners left the room and police entered soon after to remove the protesters.
At least two protesters were arrested.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, who was scheduled to speak first at the hearings, decided to cancel his appearance as a result, calling the proceedings a “circus.”
Coderre said he may hold a presentation tomorrow instead.
Mayor Denis Coderre says he and his coalition of mayors are leaving the #NEB for the day, calling it “a circus.” pic.twitter.com/aRV1YfSCn1
A crowd of about 200 people gathered Monday morning in front of the downtown Montreal venue where the hearings are taking place, with many expressing support for the project and others there to oppose it.
A large contingent of Canadian Piping Trades Union Local 144 members showed up to voice support for the project, chanting “We want to work.”
That chant was countered by a chorus of “we want to drink water” by protesters concerned about the project’s potential impact on the environment.
Police were present to keep the peace between the two groups.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre was to appear at the hearings on behalf of the Montreal Metropolitan Community just days after he called for a suspension of the hearings upon learning that federal energy officials met with a former premier lobbying for TransCanada.
The NEB apologized, stating it did not know that Jean Charest was working with the company at the time.
Coderre has also repeatedly raised concerns about whether the potential environmental risks outweigh the pipeline’s possible economic benefits.
Three First Nations chiefs, among others, were also scheduled to speak at the hearings Monday.
The NEB is set to hear from an array of speakers, including both supporters and opponents, as part of its process to decide whether to approve TransCanada’s bid to build a 4,500-kilometre pipeline that would transport crude oil from Alberta to Eastern Canada.
The NEB plans additional hearings in several other cities including Quebec City before concluding in Kingston, Ont., in
December.
The board must submit its report by March 2018 after which the federal cabinet will have the final say on the project.