Some introductory work on the controversial Trans Mountain pipeline is finally moving ahead after the company in charge was given permission to build some temporary sites along the route.
TMX says the sites, in Kamloops, Merritt, Hope and Abbotsford, will be stockpiles for pipe and other materials needed for construction.
Back in June, the company told the National Energy Board that it needed to begin construction by August 5 to avoid further delays by missing the current season.
Officials say they want to avoid the rainy season in British Columbia and keep the commitments they made to protect fish species.
Ian Anderson, Trans Mountain's president and CEO, told CTV News the real work could also begin in September.
"We’ve got about a third of the pipe now stockpiled in locations between the Lower Mainland and Edmonton," he told CTV Edmonton in an interview.
The work is also expected to create thousands of jobs throughout the process, he said.
Trans Mountain is not allowed to begin construction at the Edmonton terminal just yet, but it's expected to go ahead with that work in the next short while.
The project has an estimated completion date of mid-2022.
(With files from CTV Edmonton)
