• Some of Canada's top scientists push for changes to Carney's new major projects bill

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-10-22 08:00:00.0
  Tags: [National, British Columbia, Environment, Infrastructure, Energy, Governance]

  More than 50 fellows of the Royal Society of Canada published an open letter urging Parliament to make six significant amendments to Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act. The 243-page bill aims to fast-track major energy and infrastructure projects by establishing a one-year review deadline and pre-approved regions of national interest, while amending over a dozen federal laws including those protecting species at risk, fisheries, and water quality. Scientists, including representatives from the University of British Columbia and Queen's University, warn that eliminating the five-year sunset clause from the original Building Canada Act (Bill C-5) and weakening environmental oversight could drive irreversible harm and species extinction, such as the endangered southern resident orca population. Federal ministers, including Dominic LeBlanc, defended the legislation before a special legislative committee, arguing that clearer timelines and robust oversight can coexist.

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• 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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• Liberal MP calls for more safeguards in new bill to fast-track development projects

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-10-07 22:35:17.0
  Tags: [National, British Columbia, Infrastructure, Energy, Environment, Governance]

  Liberal MP Patrick Weiler publicly raised concerns in the House of Commons regarding Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, which grants the Carney government sweeping powers to fast-track major infrastructure projects like pipelines, mines, and ports within one year. Weiler flagged shortcomings including excessive ministerial discretion to exempt projects from environmental regulations, compressed timelines limiting Indigenous and public input, and provisions allowing preliminary construction before environmental assessments are complete. The legislation, overseen by Transport Minister and House Leader Steven MacKinnon, is being studied in the House of Commons via a rare legislative committee structure covering its more than 200 clauses. Environmental groups and labour unions have also pushed back against the bill, warning it threatens environmental protections, at-risk species like caribou, and labour standards.

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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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• How a new oil pipeline could open new markets for Canada — and deepen U.S. ties

  Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
  Date: 2026-10-05 11:00:37.0
  Tags: [National, Alberta, British Columbia, Energy, Infrastructure, Trade]

  Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith declared the 1,250-kilometer Pacific Link oil pipeline—running from Bruderheim, Alberta to Delta, British Columbia and adding one million barrels per day of capacity—a project of national interest. Co-owned equally by Ottawa and Alberta with at least 10 percent equity offered to Indigenous communities and led by Trans Mountain Corp. alongside private partner Pembina Pipeline Corporation, the project aims to reduce reliance on U.S. markets by opening Asian trade routes. However, industry analysts note the pipeline will exacerbate Western Canada's reliance on American condensate imports, requiring an additional 383,000 barrels per day of diluent to transport the heavy bitumen. Ottawa has targeted September 1, 2027, to finalize building conditions for the infrastructure.

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• Carney, Smith say new West Coast pipeline could get oil companies building again

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-10-02 21:02:38.0
  Tags: [National, Alberta, British Columbia, Infrastructure, Energy, Resources]

  Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that the proposed one-million-barrel-per-day Pacific Link oil pipeline from Alberta to a southern British Columbia tanker export terminal has been designated as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act. The project, which largely follows the existing Trans Mountain corridor, will undergo a streamlined review process shepherded by the Calgary-based major projects office. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and industry representatives note that the initiative—coupled with increased technological innovation, automated oilsands haul trucks, and early First Nations participation—aims to foster sustained growth and efficient labor-sharing among producers like Suncor Energy Inc. without repeating the cost inflation and labor shortages of past booms.

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• Another oilsands boom? Smith, Carney say this time Canada will be ready

  Source: Global News Politics
  Date: 2026-10-02 20:30:16.0
  Tags: [National, Alberta, British Columbia, Energy, Resources, Infrastructure]

  Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced that the proposed million-barrel-per-day Pacific Link oil pipeline from Alberta to southern British Columbia has been designated as a project of national interest under legislation passed the previous year. The designation subjects the pipeline to a streamlined review process managed by the Calgary-based major projects office. While industry executives and officials anticipate sustained growth rather than a repeat of the historical mid-2000s boom, analysts highlight potential workforce challenges and the need to sequence major infrastructure projects to manage labour scarcity.

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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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• 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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• West coast pipeline is in Canadian national interest: Carney, Smith in Fort McMurray

  Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
  Date: 2026-10-01 15:13:46.0
  Tags: [National, Alberta, British Columbia, Energy, Infrastructure, Economy]

  Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith jointly announced the designation of the Pacific Link oil pipeline project as a national interest undertaking under the One Canadian Economy Act. The pipeline will run 1 million barrels per day of crude oil from Bruderheim, Alberta, to southern British Columbia, featuring a new delivery terminal and marine export facility. The project will be developed, built, and operated by the federal Crown corporation Trans Mountain Corporation and the provincial Crown corporation Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission, each holding a 45 percent ownership stake, alongside a 10 percent interest by Pembina Pipeline Corporation. A review process involving the federal major projects office and the Canada Energy Regulator is targeted for completion by September 1 of next year, with construction potentially beginning immediately afterward, contingent on the Pathways carbon capture project offsetting emissions.

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• West Coast oil pipeline becomes 1st project designated in national interest

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-10-01 15:11:24.0
  Tags: [National, Alberta, British Columbia, Infrastructure, Energy, Economy]

  The federal and Alberta governments have designated a proposed West Coast oil pipeline as the first project under Schedule One of the Building Canada Act. Scheduled to open between 2032 and 2033, the pipeline will transport one million barrels of oil per day from Alberta to the British Columbia coast. Senior government officials project the project will boost Canada's GDP by up to $30 billion annually—including $20 billion directly from the pipeline and $10 billion from diversifying export markets away from the United States—while creating up to 140,000 jobs.

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• Ottawa faces deadline on whether to fast-track new West Coast pipeline

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-10-01 11:00:00.0
  Tags: [National, Alberta, British Columbia, Energy, Infrastructure, Environment]

  The federal government and the Alberta government face an October 1 deadline to decide whether to designate a new 1,250-kilometre bitumen pipeline project under Bill C-5, the Building Canada Act, to fast-track its approval. The multi-billion dollar project, estimated to cost between $35.2 billion and $43.7 billion, would run from Bruderheim, Alberta, to the Roberts Bank terminal in Delta, British Columbia, carrying more than one million barrels of bitumen per day. The Alberta government and the federally owned Trans Mountain Corporation would each hold a 45 per cent ownership stake, while the Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline Corporation would hold a 10 per cent stake. The project is conditional on the construction of the Pathways carbon storage network and faces opposition and potential hurdles from First Nations groups and environmental organizations over Indigenous consultation and environmental impacts.

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• West Coast pipeline deadline day: Carney, Smith to make announcement in Fort McMurray

  Source: Global News Politics
  Date: 2026-10-01 09:00:43.0
  Tags: [National, Alberta, British Columbia, Energy, Infrastructure, Resources]

  Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced the official national interest designation deadline and next steps for a proposed West Coast oil pipeline running approximately 1,250 kilometers from Bruderheim, Alberta to Delta, British Columbia. The infrastructure project, estimated to cost between $35.2 billion and $43.7 billion, is advanced through Bill C-39 (the Building Canada Strong Act) and would be owned by Trans Mountain Corporation, the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission, and Pembina Pipeline Corporation. Once operational, the pipeline will carry upwards of one million barrels of crude oil per day to international markets, boosting Canada's oil exports by 20 per cent.

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• Carney set to make energy announcement in Vancouver

  Source: Global News Politics
  Date: 2026-09-29 17:34:43.0
  Tags: [National, British Columbia, Energy, Resources, Economy, Infrastructure]

  Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a major energy investment in Vancouver following LNG Canada's decision to proceed with the multibillion-dollar Phase 2 expansion of its liquefied natural gas export terminal in Kitimat, British Columbia. The expansion will double the facility's export capacity from 14 million to 28 million tonnes of LNG per year, making it one of the largest LNG facilities globally. The federal government estimates the project will attract $33 billion in private sector capital and generate over $50 billion in government revenues over its lifetime.

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• Powering Metro Vancouver’s first net-zero-emission school

  Source: British Columbia - Government News
  Date: 2026-09-11 18:30:00.0
  Tags: [British Columbia, Education, Energy, Environment, Climate, Infrastructure]

  The Government of British Columbia and BC Hydro announced that École Snokomish Elementary in Surrey has opened as Metro Vancouver's first all-electric, net-zero-emission school and latest Power Smart Champion. Supported by CleanBC funding and more than $14,000 for an initial energy study, the 27-classroom, 655-student school utilizes a heat-pump-based HVAC system designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 89% and avoid an estimated 961 tonnes of emissions over 15 years. The project directly advances Surrey Schools' target to lower emissions by 40% by 2030 and aligns with BC Hydro's Power Smart 2.0 plan to drive public building energy efficiency.

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• From pipelines, to railways and AI: Ottawa pitches 167 projects ahead of Carney's investment summit

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-09-10 21:20:00.0
  Tags: [National, Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Infrastructure, Energy, Transportation, Economy, Technology]

  The federal government has released a 66-page prospectus outlining 167 investment projects across eight sectors ahead of the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, co-hosted by Prime Minister Mark Carney alongside the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Public Sector Pension Investment Board to attract $1 trillion in international capital. Notable infrastructure and energy proposals featured in the document include a $57 billion US expansion of the Port of Churchill, a $44 billion Nova Scotia Wind West offshore wind project, a $35 billion West Coast Oil Pipeline connecting Alberta crude to British Columbia, a $28.5 billion Ksi Lisims LNG terminal project on the B.C. coast, a $10.9 billion Calgary-to-Edmonton high-speed passenger rail line, a $2.1 billion US South Bow Prairie Connector pipeline expansion, and a $14.5 billion data centre near Medicine Hat, Alberta. The pitch aims to diversify Canada's trade and energy export markets amid escalating U.S.-Canada trade tensions while highlighting assets ranging from fully permitted, shovel-ready initiatives to preliminary-stage critical mineral developments.

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• Supporting B.C. tech strengthens general aviation emergency response

  Source: British Columbia - Government News
  Date: 2026-09-10 16:15:00.0
  Tags: [British Columbia, Economy, Technology, Energy, Infrastructure, Emergency]

  Abbotsford-based Fast Air will receive up to $1 million through the B.C. Integrated Marketplace to test a mobile battery and solar power system developed by Richmond-based Holinova at the Abbotsford International Airport. The project replaces traditional diesel-powered backup generators with clean battery storage to power ground equipment and aircraft charging needs during grid disruptions. This initiative is the second project launched under the Forestry Innovation and Emergency Management Testbed and forms part of the provincial Look West economic strategy to support aerospace and technology sectors while ensuring uninterrupted general aviation emergency responses, such as wildfire and medical transport.

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• Investing in downtown Vancouver’s electricity system for future generations

  Source: British Columbia - Government News
  Date: 2026-09-09 20:45:00.0
  Tags: [British Columbia, Energy, Infrastructure]

  The British Columbia Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions and BC Hydro are investing in two new electrical substations to modernize downtown Vancouver's electricity system and serve approximately 100,000 customers. The West End Substation will replace the 1952 Dal Grauer Substation, built underground beneath the Vancouver School Board's Lord Roberts Annex property with construction starting in late 2026 and service beginning as early as 2032 to serve 50,000 people. The East Vancouver Substation near Hastings Street and Clark Drive will replace the 1947 Murrin Substation, with construction beginning in early 2027 and service starting as early as 2031 to serve another 50,000 people.

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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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