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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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Fort Simpson, N.W.T., to get new power plant, and off diesel (mostly)
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-10-18 10:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Infrastructure, Energy, Environment, Climate]The federal government is contributing more than $31.3 million, paired with approximately $10.4 million from the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC), to build a new power plant in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories. The facility is funded through the Arctic Energy Fund and will primarily generate electricity using liquefied natural gas (LNG) to replace an existing flood-vulnerable diesel plant, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving an estimated 10 to 15 per cent in cost savings. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2027 and is expected to be completed by 2029-2030, with the new off-island site designed to avoid annual spring breakup erosion and flooding from the Mackenzie River.
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‘A show of confidence’: Ottawa invests $100M in Nova Scotia offshore wind
Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
Date: 2026-10-15 20:27:39.0
Tags: [Nova Scotia, National, Energy, Environment, Infrastructure, Resources]The federal government, represented by Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson and Minister of Justice Sean Fraser, announced a $100 million investment to advance the Wind West offshore wind development project in Nova Scotia alongside Premier Tim Houston. The funding will support collecting vital wind, ocean, and seafloor data—with $5 million allocated for wind and ocean measurement tools and nearly $3 million for transmission modelling and marine surveys. The initiative is tied to the Atlantic Energy Strategy, referred to the federal Major Projects Office in September 2025, and aims to support Nova Scotia's goal of licensing up to five gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, with future potential phases generating up to 60 gigawatts.
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New Brunswick gets $219 million loan from Ottawa for hydroelectric dam repair work
Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-13 17:06:33.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, National, Infrastructure, Energy, Environment, Climate]The federal government announced nearly $270 million in funding for New Brunswick energy facilities, featuring a $219 million loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank for the Mactaquac Life Achievement Project and a $50 million grant to upgrade the Salisbury Terminal near Moncton. The funding supports technical studies, regulatory reviews, and planning to extend the 672-megawatt Mactaquac Generating Station's operational life to 2068, counteracting concrete swelling caused by alkali-aggregate reactions. NB Power officials stated that the total project cost is projected to approach $9 billion, while the federal government emphasizes the investment's alignment with Ottawa's net-zero electricity grid goals by 2050.
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Alberta First Nation taking Ottawa to court over West Coast pipeline
Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
Date: 2026-10-09 00:20:48.0
Tags: [Alberta, National, Indigenous, Energy, Environment, Infrastructure]Cold Lake First Nations has filed an application in Federal Court challenging the federal and provincial decision to designate the $35 billion to $43 billion Pacific Link oil pipeline project as being in the national interest. The proposed pipeline, backed by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, would transport up to one million barrels of crude a day from Bruderheim, Alberta, to Delta, British Columbia, while incorporating the Pathways Project carbon capture network near Cold Lake. Chief Kelsey Jacko argues that Ottawa breached Canadian law by failing to consult the community meaningfully regarding the pipeline designation and the underground carbon storage risks on their traditional territory.
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New Liberal major projects bill clears first vote, heads to special committee
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-08 21:51:34.0
Tags: [National, Economy, Infrastructure, Energy, Environment, Labour]Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act proposed by Prime Minister Mark Carney's government, has cleared its first vote in the House of Commons and been sent to an 11-member special committee. The 243-page omnibus bill aims to fast-track major infrastructure and energy projects across Canada by mandating a single review process completed within one year. The legislation faces significant pushback from opposition parties, environmental groups, the Canadian Labour Congress, and First Nations communities—including the Cold Lake First Nations and Teme Augama Anishinabek nation—over concerns regarding weakened environmental protections, Indigenous consultation, treaty rights, and restrictions on the right to strike under the Canada Labour Code.
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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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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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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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Proposed dam near Iqaluit could have 'adverse impacts,' QIA admits in board filing
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-28 20:27:44.0
Tags: [National, Energy, Infrastructure, Environment, Indigenous]The Qikiqtani Inuit Association and its subsidiary, the Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation, have acknowledged in a regulatory filing to the Nunavut Impact Review Board that the proposed $500 million Iqaluit hydroelectric project could cause significant adverse impacts on the environment, wildlife, and Inuit livelihoods. The project, planned along the Kuugaluk River approximately 60 kilometres northeast of Iqaluit, would entail constructing a dam and powerhouse capable of generating 15 megawatts of electricity for 100 years. According to the project proposal, the development would flood 73 square kilometres of land, raising ongoing concerns from regional leaders and community members in Pangnirtung regarding impacts on fish, caribou, traditional harvesting, and travel safety.
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Wind turbine going up a ‘big moment’ in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-28 17:11:14.0
Tags: [National, Energy, Infrastructure, Environment, Climate, Indigenous]The Inuit-owned clean energy developer Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation (NNC) has installed a 1-megawatt wind turbine and 1-megawatt battery storage system as part of the $30 million Anuriqjuak Nukkiksautiit Project in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut. The project is expected to displace at least 50 per cent—or approximately 600,000 litres—of the community's diesel usage annually and will sell power to the Qulliq Energy Corporation (QEC) at about 27 cents per kilowatt-hour under an energy purchase agreement signed in 2023. Funding for the initiative includes $16.7 million from Natural Resources Canada, $7 million from the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, and a $6.7 million loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank, with 20 per cent of project profits directed into a local community enhancement fund.
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Speed over species? What experts are saying about Ottawa's new major projects bill
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-28 08:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Environment, Infrastructure, Energy, Resources, Governance]The federal government has tabled Bill C-39, titled the Building Canada Strong Act, containing over 300 clauses designed to expedite major project decisions to one year in response to U.S. economic pressures. The legislation amends more than a dozen federal statutes, including the Species at Risk Act, the Fisheries Act, the Impact Assessment Act, and the Labour Code, while permanently removing sunset clauses from the temporary powers established under Bill C-5. Critics, including the Sierra Club Canada Foundation, World Wildlife Fund Canada, and Ecojustice Canada, warn that the bill weakens environmental safeguards by allowing preliminary construction before impact assessments are completed and granting broad ministerial exemptions for sensitive water bodies and wildlife habitats.
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Eyesore from oil and gas era being dismantled in Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T.
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-26 11:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Infrastructure, Energy, Resources, Environment]Salvage crews from Marine Recycling Corporation, working in coordination with the Northwest Territories Department of Infrastructure and Marine Transportation Services, successfully moved a 12,000-ton, 40-foot steel caisson retained island from a beach in Tuktoyaktuk harbour to a nearby dock. The structure, a relic from 1970s and 1980s oil and gas exploration that had been beached by a storm three years prior, will be dismantled into eight parts and repurposed to strengthen local harbour docks, while residual fuel left in its tanks will be processed as heating oil by a local company. Local regulatory boards must still approve the permitting requirements for the subsequent dock construction and harbour infilling projects.
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Saskatchewan, Alberta and Northwest Territories Sign Nuclear Energy Agreement to Strengthen Grid Reliability
Source: Saskatchewan - Government News
Date: 2026-09-14 21:05:00.0
Tags: [Saskatchewan, Alberta, National, Energy, Infrastructure, Environment]Premier Scott Moe of Saskatchewan, Premier Danielle Smith of Alberta, and Premier R.J. Simpson of the Northwest Territories have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on nuclear energy generation and electricity interconnections. The agreement establishes a framework for evaluating large-scale nuclear reactors, small modular reactors (SMRs), and microreactors, alongside the development of regional transmission infrastructure and interties. The partnership builds upon previous cross-jurisdictional agreements, including Saskatchewan's March 2026 Partnership Agreement on Transmission Interties and a 2024 MOU between Saskatchewan and Alberta, to enhance grid reliability, support carbon-neutral power generation, and secure long-term regional energy security.
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Government exempts interprovincial pipelines from review by impact assessment agency
Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-09-09 21:44:12.0
Tags: [National, Energy, Environment, Infrastructure, Resources, Governance]The federal government published new regulations in the Canada Gazette exempting interprovincial and international pipelines, transmission lines, offshore renewable energy projects, specific oilsands extraction projects, and fossil fuel-fired power generating projects from environmental reviews by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. These projects will instead undergo environmental assessments solely through the Canada Energy Regulator to streamline regulatory approval processes. The changes follow the passage of Bill C-5 after the 2025 federal election and are designed to reduce up-front legal due diligence and regulatory costs for major energy investments.
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The N.W.T. is slowly closing the infrastructure gap for EVs
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-09 16:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Infrastructure, Transportation, Energy, Climate, Environment]Marking one year since the completion of the Government of the Northwest Territories' EV charging corridor between Yellowknife and Alberta, local utilities Naka Power Utilities and the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) report varying uptake across charging stations. Between January 1, 2025, and August 17, 2026, NTPC recorded 194 charging sessions totaling 6,182 kilowatt hours purchased across Behchokǫ̀, Hay River, and Fort Smith, while Naka Power tracked limited 2026 usage across Enterprise, Yellowknife, and Fort Providence due to isolated micro-grid constraints. The City of Yellowknife is also integrating EV chargers into new construction projects under its Climate Action Plan, which accounts for approximately 20 per cent of municipal emissions originating from transportation.
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Yukon Energy settles on 2 sites for new power plants in Whitehorse area
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-04 20:56:58.0
Tags: [National, Energy, Infrastructure, Environment, Indigenous]Yukon Energy Corp. has selected two sites for new thermal power plants designed to burn diesel or liquefied natural gas to address power deficits and avoid rolling blackouts in Whitehorse. The proposed $100 million-plus project includes a 90-megawatt facility at Deep Creek on Ta’an Kwäch’än Council traditional territory and a 60-megawatt facility on the Copper Haul Road within city limits. Yukon Energy CEO Joe MacGillivray stated that the company will submit proposals to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) in the coming months, with construction targeted to begin in spring 2028.
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Ottawa lays out plan for AI data centres as community backlash grows
Source: Global News Politics
Date: 2026-09-03 19:59:23.0
Tags: [National, Ontario, Technology, Infrastructure, Energy, Environment]AI Minister Evan Solomon unveiled a federal five-point national framework in Markham, Ontario, introducing voluntary principles for the construction of large-scale artificial intelligence data centres to address community concerns regarding electricity, water use, and noise. The framework is endorsed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and signatories including Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Bell Canada, and TELUS, though the federal government acknowledged it lacks the jurisdiction to enforce the standards, leaving enforcement to provinces and municipalities. A study by York University researchers Lyndsey Rolheiser and Alexander Carlo noted that while only four active AI-specific data centres operate in Canada, 49 additional facilities are announced or under construction.
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N.W.T. utilities board looking at how much renewable energy territory’s systems can handle
Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
Date: 2026-09-03 11:00:00.0
Tags: [National, Energy, Environment, Infrastructure]The Government of the Northwest Territories is directing the Public Utilities Board to increase the limit on renewable energy fed into local grids by independent producers from 20 per cent to 30 per cent of annual average load demand. The territory's two power companies, Naka Power and the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC), noted in regulatory submissions that integration beyond 30 per cent poses reliability risks to aging diesel infrastructure and causes utility revenue losses, which a 2021 consultant report estimated at $493,000 in 2019 and projected to reach up to $2.7 million within a decade. Stakeholder proceedings and a public hearing regarding the regulatory changes are scheduled through 2027.
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