The blast on Sunday did not rupture the pipeline but blew a 1.8-metre crater in the ground about 50 kilometres east of Dawson Creek in northern B.C. (RCMP)

Former CSIS strategist David Harris says a weekend explosion near the town of Dawson Creek in northeastern B.C. fits the description of terrorism, despite police statements to the contrary.

Sometime overnight Saturday, someone detonated a large explosion next to the sour gas pipeline about 50 kilometres from the B.C.-Alberta border.

The blast did not rupture the pipeline but blew a 1.8-metre crater in the ground, which was discovered by a hunter on Sunday.

"How on earth anyone could declare this was not terrorism at this early stage is beyond me. Terrorism is associated with an attempt by threat or actual violence … to change policy," said Harris, former chief of strategic planning for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and now a private security expert.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Tim Shields said the blast is a serious criminal matter but stopped short of calling the explosion terrorism. (CBC)

The previous week, a handwritten letter arrived at a newspaper in Dawson Creek calling EnCana Corp. and other energy companies "terrorists" for expanding "deadly" gas wells and giving the firms a deadline to shut down operations, including the gas plant served by the pipeline.

"You have until Oct. 11, 2008 (Saturday, 12 noon) to close down your operations … and leave the area until further notice," the letters said.

"We will not negotiate with terrorists, which you are, as you keep on endangering our families with crazy expansion of deadly gas wells in our homelands," the letters said.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Tim Shields called the blast a serious criminal matter but stopped short of calling the explosion terrorism.

"It was set there … with the intent to blow up that pipeline. That's a threat to the infrastructure of this province," said Shields. "We're not categorizing this as terrorism."

"We just don't want to start using the word terrorism at this point. It gives credence and maybe satisfaction to the people who are involved in setting this explosive off," he said.

Police view disputed

But Harris said that was exactly what the explosion was.

Police would not comment on whether the blast had any connection to the recent theft of a huge cache of dynamite from a work site in nearby Chetwynd in July.

Shields said investigators are worried whoever is responsible could strike again.

"We are concerned that there could be another similar incident or even one in a more populated area."

Peace River South MLA Blair Lekstrom said the Kelly Lake Métis community is just some 40 kilometres away from where the targeted pipeline is located.

Lekstrom said people's safety is a concern because the area near the pipeline is used by hikers, hunters, and outdoorsmen.

The targeted pipeline is owned by EnCana and carries sour gas to the Steep Rock gas plant, police said. Sour gas is a form of natural gas that contains hydrogen sulphide, a toxic substance that is removed through a treatment process at the plant.

The RCMP investigation is being conducted by members from the force's explosives disposal unit, the forensic identification section and the integrated national security enforcement team.