Court Says B.C. Can’t Restrict Oil Shipments in Key Case for Trans Mountain

Court Says B.C. Can’t Restrict Oil Shipments in Key Case for Trans Mountain
A security guard stands nearby construction workers at the Kinder Morgan Burnaby Terminal tank farm, the terminus point of the Trans Mountain pipeline, in Burnaby, B.C., on April 30, 2019. Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press
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VANCOUVER—British Columbia’s top court has ruled the province cannot restrict oil shipments through its borders in a decision that marks a win for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and Alberta’s efforts to get its resources to overseas markets.

The province filed a constitutional reference question to the B.C. Court of Appeal that asked whether it had the authority to create a permitting regime for companies that wished to increase their flow of diluted bitumen.