• LNG Canada to use Chinese steel on $33-billion expansion project in Kitimat, B.C.

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-10-02 14:51:57.0
  Tags: [National, British Columbia, Energy, Trade, Industry, Infrastructure]

  LNG Canada has announced that its joint venture partners will utilize the state-owned China Offshore Oil Engineering Co., Ltd. (COOEC) to source specialized fabricated steel modules for its $33-billion Phase 2 expansion project in Kitimat, B.C., citing a lack of domestic fabrication capacity. The expansion will add two new processing units, increasing production capacity from 14 to 28 megatonnes per year by the early 2030s. While Prime Minister Mark Carney's newly introduced federal Major Projects Office and Buy Canadian policies emphasize domestic sourcing, private sector energy companies retain the autonomy to determine their supply chains. Meanwhile, pipeline operator Coastal GasLink targets approximately 70% Canadian steel—around 15,000 tonnes—for the compressor stations required to support the terminal's expanded throughput.

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• U.S. bans on Canadian booze hit producers on one of the trade war's thorniest fronts

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-09-29 08:00:00.0
  Tags: [National, British Columbia, Trade, Economy, Industry, Agriculture]

  As part of an escalating Canada-U.S. trade war, the U.S. federal government implemented an import ban prohibiting certain Canadian products—including specific alcohol items, dairy byproducts, molasses, and motorcycles—from crossing the border entirely. The restrictions disproportionately affect independent operators like British Columbia-based distillery Sons of Vancouver, while sparing major multinational spirits companies due to exemptions for bulk shipments over certain volumes. Trade data shows the U.S. previously imported $673 million US in spirits from Canada in 2025, with Spirits Canada noting that about 93 per cent of exported Canadian liquor is destined for the U.S. market. The measures follow retaliatory moves by Canadian provincial premiers who pulled U.S.-made alcohol from provincially run liquor store shelves in March 2025 in response to initial American tariffs.

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• Helping businesses adapt, grow, create jobs through new grants

  Source: British Columbia - Government News
  Date: 2026-08-28 18:15:00.0
  Tags: [British Columbia, National, Economy, Labour, Industry, Indigenous]

  The Governments of Canada and British Columbia have launched a $2.7 million funding initiative under Phase 2 of the Rural and Remote Employment Initiatives Fund to support northern B.C. businesses and First Nations development corporations responding to global tariffs. Administered by the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT), the funding is split into two programs opening for applications on September 2, 2026: the Business Diversification and Sustainability (BDS) program, which provides grants of up to $200,000 covering up to 75% of project costs for small and medium-sized businesses totaling $1.8 million, and the First Nations Business Development Capacity Building program, which provides up to $75,000 per applicant covering up to 90% of eligible costs totaling $900,000. The investment is supported by federal funding through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement as part of a broader $5-million provincial response to tariffs.

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• Interprovincial trade barriers are falling. But rewriting old rules will take time

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-08-28 14:14:49.0
  Tags: [National, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Trade, Economy, Industry]

  Federal and provincial ministers met in Iqaluit and Prince Edward Island to advance interprovincial trade agreements, building on a recent nine-province accord allowing direct-to-consumer alcohol sales across provincial lines. International Monetary Fund estimates indicate that removing internal trade barriers could increase Canada's real grossD product by up to seven per cent, or approximately $210 billion, over the long term. Priorities for ongoing discussions include securing a freer flow of services by the end of the year, harmonizing approval processes for prefabricated homes and building materials, and facilitating food trade. Meanwhile, University of Ottawa professor Wolfgang Alschner is utilizing artificial intelligence to catalogue approximately 17,000 regulatory texts across Canada to systematically identify and eliminate unnecessary trade divergences.

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• Canada recruited 64 professors with new research fund. Three-quarters are from U.S. schools

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-08-27 21:58:07.0
  Tags: [National, British Columbia, Education, Industry, Technology]

  Industry Minister Mélanie Joly announced a federal investment of $541 million through the Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative to recruit 64 academic research leaders to Canadian universities, with three-quarters coming from United States institutions. Of this funding, $504 million is allocated to the initial tranche of professors, while $37 million will support the recruitment of 63 additional emerging leaders over the next year under the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada and Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders programs. Participating professors will receive either $500,000 or $1 million annually over eight years to build research teams and laboratories at institutions including the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.

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