Ottawa drops key legal tool, leaving endangered orcas vulnerable to new pipeline

Eight years after approving the Trans Mountain expansion, Ottawa has failed to implement the promised noise-reduction strategy for the endangered Southern Resident killer whales, despite voluntary ship slowdowns and larger exclusion zones. The government recently scrapped a proposal that would have required cabinet approval for any project endangering the species, prompting environmental lawyers to warn that the new West Coast pipeline could be approved under the Building Canada Act, sidestepping the Species at Risk Act.

The pipeline would terminate at Roberts Bank in Metro Vancouver, near key whale habitat, and could bring large oil tankers into the already busy Salish Sea. Scientists note that boat noise now makes up 40-80 % of underwater sound, interfering with the whales' communication and hunting of Chinook salmon, whose size has also declined. Population counts show a marginal rise to 76 whales in 2026, but experts say recovery remains unlikely without substantial threat reduction. Indigenous-led monitoring and salmon restoration projects are among the few actions cited as essential for the whales' survival.