Sarnia’s mayor says the federal government has invoked a 1977 treaty to stop the shutdown of Line 5.

The clause is part of the Transit Pipelines Treaty and it’s the first time the federal government used it to keep a pipeline operating.

Enbridge’s pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac has been a major source of oil and gas for Sarnia’s petrochemical industry since the early 1950s. But environmental concerns were raised after a leak caused significant damages in a Kalamazoo wetland.

During the lead up to the 2018 Michigan election, Gretchen Whitmer vowed to close the Line down. By 2019, as governor, she’d filed the legal work to do it.

Meantime, Enbridge has been working on plans to bury the pipeline beneath the bed of the Straits of Mackinac, to reduce the risk of any leaks.

As the May 2021 deadline loomed, the federal government and the Michigan government were ordered by a Michigan court to enter negotiations to end the dispute.

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said in a email he circulated to local politicians and media, he has heard from federal minister of natural resources before the formal announcement was released this afternoon.

Groups as diverse as industry, labour and the agriculture community as well as municipal leaders from Ontario and Quebec have urged the federal government to step in saying Line 5 is the life blood of the region and the closure would affect thousands of jobs.