• Métis leaders in oilsands region say they haven’t been consulted on proposed Pacific Link pipeline

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-10-15 12:00:00.0
  Tags: [National, Alberta, British Columbia, Energy, Indigenous, Infrastructure]

  Métis leaders representing six communities in the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo region have accused Prime Minister Mark Carney and the federal government of failing to consult them regarding the proposed Pacific Link pipeline. The proposed 1,000,000 barrel-per-day oil pipeline—designated as being in the national interest under the Building Canada Act—aims to connect Alberta's oilsands to a deepwater port near Delta, British Columbia, with approvals targeted for September 2027 and operations slated for 2032 or 2033. While the federal government has engaged First Nations leadership and announced a 10 per cent Indigenous ownership stake, local Métis presidents including Ruby Ladouceur of Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation and Stella Lavallee of Willow Lake Métis Nation expressed concerns over potential environmental impacts and the lack of inclusion in project discussions.

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• Cold Lake First Nations seeking judicial review of Pacific Link pipeline designation

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-10-08 19:37:43.0
  Tags: [National, Alberta, British Columbia, Indigenous, Energy, Infrastructure]

  Cold Lake First Nations filed an application for judicial review in Federal Court challenging the federal government's decision to designate the Pacific Link pipeline as a project in the national interest under the Building Canada Act. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced the fast-tracking of the West Coast oil pipeline project with the goal of completing reviews and consultations over the next year to begin construction by next September. Cold Lake First Nations Chief Kelsey Jacko stated that his community was excluded from consultations on the designation despite being situated in the oilsands region. The legal challenge argues that the designation breaches Canadian law, is inconsistent with the honour of the Crown, and fails to account for adverse effects on Treaty No. 6 rights and cumulative oilsands development impacts.

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• Indigenous, local leaders optimistic about new pipeline despite “host of issues” Carney says Federal government is yet to address

  Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
  Date: 2026-10-05 16:03:04.0
  Tags: [National, Alberta, British Columbia, Energy, Infrastructure, Environment, Indigenous]

  Prime Minister Mark Carney, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, and Pembina Pipeline Corp. CEO Scott Burrows announced that the Pacific Link Pipeline (formerly West Coast Oil Pipeline) has been officially listed as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act. The project aims to export an additional one million barrels of Albertan oil per day to Asian markets, generate over $20 billion annually in GDP, create 140,000 jobs, and provide a 10 per cent ownership stake to Indigenous communities in British Columbia and Alberta through an accelerated single federal regulatory review process. However, the initiative faces ongoing concerns from local Indigenous groups—including Fort McKay First Nation, Mikisew Cree First Nation, and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation—regarding unresolved legacy issues, carbon capture and storage technologies like the Pathways Project, mine water release, and effluents regulations tied to a trilateral memorandum of understanding aiming to double regional oil production to eight million barrels per day within a decade.

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• Separatist, environment, and some First Nation groups speak out against new Alberta-B.C. pipeline

  Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
  Date: 2026-10-02 20:03:56.0
  Tags: [National, Alberta, British Columbia, Infrastructure, Energy, Environment, Indigenous]

  Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced that the Pacific Link pipeline, proposed by Pembina Pipeline Corporation, has been designated a project of national interest, allowing it to be fast-tracked through Ottawa's major projects office with construction potentially starting in September. The pipeline faces strong opposition from Alberta separatists like Let Alberta Decide over public financing and timing, B.C. and Alberta First Nations including Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation and the Union of B.C. Indigenous Chiefs over lack of consultation and environmental impacts, and environmental groups like the Pembina Institute and Ecojustice over increased greenhouse gas emissions and risks to the Salish Sea.

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• North Coast Transmission Line breaking ground to power economic growth

  Source: British Columbia - Government News
  Date: 2026-09-03 18:40:00.0
  Tags: [British Columbia, National, Infrastructure, Energy, Mining, Indigenous]

  The Government of British Columbia and BC Hydro, alongside federal funding support through the Canada-British Columbia Co-operative Prosperity Agreement and the Canada Infrastructure Bank, have broken ground on the North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL) to expand clean electricity infrastructure in northern B.C. The multi-phase project—consisting of Phase 1 from Prince George to Glenannan (completing by mid-2030) and Phase 2 extending toward Terrace (construction beginning in 2027 and completing by winter 2032)—will more than double transmission capacity to power major mining, energy, and industrial projects. Once finished, the NCTL is expected to employ 1,400 workers at peak construction, create 9,700 direct full-time jobs, contribute nearly $10 billion annually to provincial GDP, and generate approximately $950 million annually in provincial and municipal revenue. Additionally, the project involves ongoing negotiations to finalize co-ownership agreements with First Nations by the end of the year to ensure direct economic participation and sustained revenue sharing.

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