Oil Sands Union Opposes Keystone Pipeline

Union says the $7-billion pipeline would lead to refining jobs leaving Alberta for the U.S.

The union representing many of the workers in northern Alberta's oil sands has come out against the Keystone XL pipeline, as they say it will mean jobs will leave Alberta for the U.S. The pipeline, which would transfer bitumen from the oil sands all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico, has faced weeks of growing protest over its environmental impact in the U.S. Both the U.S. and Canadian governments want the $7-billion pipeline to open, but the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada says the pipeline means workers in Alberta who upgrade the bitumen for export would lose their jobs as that work would be done in refineries in the U.S. Union president David Cole said the pipeline would mean the U.S. gets jobs and cheaper oil, while Canada would be left with pollution and environmental degradation (and reams of cash).