Enbridge Polishing a Tarnished Image

Original Air Date: Wednesday, July 25, 2012

While Canada’s Premiers discuss a national energy strategy in Halifax, Enbridge is polishing a tarnished image as it pushes its huge proposed pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia's west coast (the Northern Gateway Pipeline).

Enbridge has faced a number of publicity nightmares over the past two years: a ruptured pipeline spilled more than one million US gallons of bitumen in Michigan; United States officials compared the company's handling of that situation to the Keystone Kops; a second spill of 230,000 litres of heavy crude in Elk Point, Alberta in June wreaked more damage; Aboriginal opposition from five First Nations groups to the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline continues; and now B.C.'s Premier is insisting Enbridge’s huge proposal poses too much environmental risk for too little money.

What are the impacts of Enbridge’s image problems for its proposed pipeline? For Albertans? For our energy? For the Canadian economy?

With us for this discussion is Satya Das, Analyst and Founder of Cambridge Strategies Incorporated; and Debi Andrus, Marketing Professor at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary.