The $34-billion pipeline, which now operates at a capacity of 890,000 barrels per day, or nearly triple its previous volumes, officially entered commercial services on Wednesday. (The Logic)

Talking point: The opening of the pipeline marks the completion of a highly contentious development process marred by delays. In 2018, the federal government bought the pipeline from its private-sector owner, Kinder Morgan, for $4.5 billion, and planned to complete the pipeline’s expansion for another $7.4 billion. Regulatory and other delays led to ballooning costs, and the project’s total price tag is now estimated around $34 billion. Still, Trans Mountain, which spans more than 1,000 kilometres from northern Alberta to Vancouver, is expected to fetch Canadian oil producers a higher price for their crude and expand access to Asian markets. Ottawa has said it would sell the pipeline once completed, and multiple Indigenous communities and other groups have made bids on the major oil conduit.