SASKATOON -- Canada's western premiers on Tuesday reiterated their support for Line 5, which they said is a critical link between Canada and the United States. In a communique issued from the Western Premiers' Conference, they called on the State of Michigan to work with Enbridge to resolve the dispute on Line 5. The dispute first erupted in November when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer - citing the risk of a catastrophe in the Straits of Mackinac, the waterway where Line 5 traverses the Great Lakes - abruptly revoked the easement that had allowed the line to operate since 1953. Enbridge insists the pipeline is safe and has already received the state's approval for a $500-million effort to dig a tunnel beneath the straits that would house the line's twin pipes and protect them from anchor strikes.