No private company proposing to build an oil pipeline to tidewater? 'There will be soon', Smith says
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has an answer for British Columbia's premier and other critics who have asserted there's 'no proponent' and no concrete proposal currently on the table to build an oil pipeline to tidewater in Canada: 'There will be soon.'
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'We're working very hard on being able to get industry players, private-sector players, to realize this time might be different and to be able to come forward,' she told delegates attending the Global Energy Show Canada in Calgary on Wednesday. 'If I'm successful in doing that, then we'll get it on the project list and we'll work through the two-year approval process and we'll see if we can get somewhere.'
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Smith said the aim is to get a new one-million-barrel-per-day crude pipeline to the Port of Prince Rupert on Prime Minister Mark Carney 's potential list of projects in the 'national interest.'
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The federal government has tabled Bill C-5, the so-called Building Canada Act, which sets out a streamlined federal regulatory process for major projects. Energy industry leaders and Western politicians say Carney and Minister of Energy Tim Hodgson have sent encouraging signals.
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But despite renewed public and political interest in constructing a new pipeline to carry crude to Canada's coasts for export to non-United States markets, no private company has emerged to express an interest in pursuing such a project.
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Midstream companies say they've faced overwhelming headwinds in trying to advance big projects in Canada in the past decade. Two west-to-east pipeline proposals, Enbridge Inc. 's Northern Gateway and TransCanada Corp.'s Energy East pipeline, were either cancelled or abandoned, and TC Energy Corp. also abandoned its Keystone XL pipeline project after twice being rejected by the U.S. government.
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But Smith laid out the case for why she thinks 'this time might be different' and why she believes a private proponent or a consortium of companies could be tempted back to the table:
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Since the Northern Gateway pipeline to B.C.'s northern coast was rejected by the Justin Trudeau government in 2016, two key developments have emerged that could help answer concerns raised about the risk of a new pipeline exacerbating greenhouse gas emissions from the oilsands and inadequate engagement with Indigenous peoples, Smith said.
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The Pathways Alliance, comprised of six major oilsands producers, pitched a large-scale carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) network project in 2021, which, if built, would be the largest upstream carbon abatement project in the world, capturing up to 80 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2050.
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Calgary Herald
3 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Premier Danielle Smith seizing opportunity to advance Alberta's energy agenda during G7 summit
Premier Danielle Smith says the G7 Leaders' Summit is an opportunity to promote Alberta's energy ambitions to an eager international audience. Article content Smith, who met with Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, in Calgary on Saturday, will greet leaders from G7 and non-member nations when they arrive in the city Sunday. Article content Article content She'll also host an evening reception in Calgary on Monday for non-member countries attending the Kananaskis summit and hold bilateral meetings throughout the three-day gathering, according to her office. Article content Speaking on her call-in radio show Saturday, the premier said she's 'excited' the summit is being held in Alberta as talk of advancing national energy infrastructure projects is growing. Article content 'Every leader that I've met with … every one of them, is talking about how they wish that they could get more supply of energy from a reliable supplier like Canada. There is a business case. We just have to get the pipeline networks built so that we can get them to market,' she said. Article content 'I think this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase Alberta to the world and have that message.' Article content It was a pleasure meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Canada, @USAmbCanada, and U.S. Consul General, Emily Fleckner along with my Senior Advisor on the United States, @JamesRajotte. The United States remains Alberta's largest trading partner, and we're committed to strengthening that… — Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) June 14, 2025 Article content The premier's office has not identified who Smith is scheduled to meet with during the summit. Article content Article content The gathering, hosted by Prime Minister Mark Carney, brings together leaders of the world's richest democracies — the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada, along with the European Union. Article content Also attending at Carney's invitation are Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with the leaders of Australia, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. Article content Energy security is listed on the G7 program as the focus of a Tuesday afternoon session. Bilateral talks will also be held across the three days. Article content 'I'm really hopeful that the G7 come together and have a positive statement about the role Alberta and Canada can play in providing global energy security, on reducing emissions as well as making sure that we're reducing global energy poverty,' Smith said Saturday. Article content Article content Carney has decided the G7 nations won't issue a joint communique at the summit's conclusion Tuesday. The leaders will instead release shorter 'action-oriented' joint statements on various topics. Article content Smith travelled to Japan and South Korea in April to advance Alberta's energy resources and was in Washington, D.C. earlier this month to attend a series of industry forums. Article content Of her meeting with Hoekstra on Saturday, Smith posted: 'The United States remains Alberta's largest trading partner, and we're committed to strengthening that relationship, free of tariffs and full of opportunity. Together, we can secure long-term energy supply and build a more prosperous future for both Canadians and Americans.' Article content The G7 summit occurs as Carney is working with the country's premiers to identify projects of national interest.
Canada Standard
5 hours ago
- Canada Standard
PM Modi to visit Cyprus, attend G7 summit in Canada, meet leaders in Croatia from June 15-19
Washington, the worlds greatest bully, has enabled the attack on Iran by writing a blank check to the aggressor Having been carrying out its ongoinggenocideof the Palestinians for almost two years, wrecking Lebanon and Syria, repeatedly assaulting Iran and Yemen, and using subversion of Western political, economic, intellectual, and media elitesto stifle its opponentswhereverthey speak up, Israel has now launched its most serious effort yet to either cripple or destroy Iran, its last remaining opponent with the potential to do it serious harm. As Russia for one has stated, Israel's massive attack on Iran is unambiguously criminal. It violates the UN Charter and international law in general. In particular, it does not fulfillthe narrow- and rightly so - legal criteria for a justifiable defensive preemptive strike. Israel's shameless attempts to deploy this phrase to shield its actions are pure information warfare. They are insultingly brazen - propaganda that can "work" only on the willingly obtuse - and as absurd as the repulsive Israeli habit of trying to pass off genocide,including by starvation, as self-defense. Incidentally, against this background, it comes as no real surprise that Israeli tactics against Iran have included the same perfidious - as in literally, technically criminal under the law of armed conflict - method recently deployed by Ukraine's Zelensky regime (and its Western helpers):Israel as well used sneak drone attacks from inside its opponent's territory. In reality, if any state did have a good case for claiming the right to a preemptive strike in this case, it would have been Iran. Because the core criterion for a military strike to be considered preemptive is that it must disrupt an imminent enemy attack. With Israel and its US symbiont recently not having let a day go by without threatening Iran with pretty much the assault that has now happened, Tehran would have had excellent evidence to show just that: That an Israeli - and thus Western - attack was imminent. Yet, especially after more than a year and a half of a live-streamed Zionist colonial genocide carried out, in effect,by Israel and the West together, we know that international law counts for very little in the hellish "rules-based" world the "value"-concerned West has made. Hence, the key question is not if Israel could possibly have a right to act as it does. That's a no-brainer: absolutely not. But unfortunately, that does not help its victims. Israel is impunity embodied. Among all the monstrous states that modern history has witnessed commit horrific crimes, none has been getting away with murder (mass murder, really) like Israel; except perhaps the US, of course. Indeed,as the Israeli dissident and genocide expert Raz Segal has recently explained, the sense that they are above the law is a key factor in how so many Israelis function - and often enjoy themselves - as merciless mass murderers. That's why the real question, the one that is relevant in the world as it really is, is why Israel can do what it is doing. And there the short, one-word answer is of course: America. Other states of the West (as well as the EU monster association) and the Middle East are also complicit in Israel's atrocities. But in terms of power, it is Washington that is decisive. Israel can commit its endless crimes and never face consequences only because of US support. Just try to imagine a state as territorially and demographically tiny and geopolitically precarious as Israel displaying so much aggression but without American backing. Exactly - there's nothing to imagine because it would long be gone. Yet in the case of Israel's latest outrage, Washington is claiming that it did not participate in it, sort of. Secretary of State Marco Rubiowants us to believe that Israel's assault was "unilateral" and the US was "not involved." Is there anyone left naïve enough to not understand two simple facts? Namely, Washington lies easily and without hesitation, and the US-Israel symbiosis is so firm and pervasive that an Israeli strike against Iran, especially of this magnitude, without American connivance and input is inconceivable. But let's set aside the obvious big fat lie. That's just the US being its bad old US self. What's more interesting is that, even on its own mendacious terms, the official American position simply makes no sense. Washington implausibly claims that it played no role in Israel's criminal attack on Iran. US mainstream media and establishment mouthpieces, such as Bloomberg and the Washington Post, go so far as to pretend that President Donald Trump's officially still ongoing negotiations with Iran may have been disturbed by Israel's oh-so-independent strike. They still uncritically quoteTrump as voicing opposition to an Israeli attack as recently as the day just before the Israeli assault. For Bloomberg, that means that Israel struck "in apparent defiance" of Trump. Really? The old the-leader-didn't-know defense? That's funny because by now Trump himself has admitted that he knew about the attack, perverselyblamed Iran and not Israel, and called on Tehran to - in essence - surrenderbefore Israel hits it so hard that nothing would be left of Iran. And all this while Israel has already threatenedanother two weeksof "operations" or even more, namely as long "as it takes." Trump, consequently, has not only sided unambiguously with the aggressor Israel, but has also signaled that he is fine with his Israeli friends battering Iran as long as they like, including to the point of extermination. That is, Washington's absurdly incredible official story is first, Israel massively defied America's declared policy; second, the US does not really mind; and third, quite to the contrary, Washington just loves being made a fool of in front of the world, as long as it's done by Israel. It loves it so much, in fact, that the American response is to immediately side with Israel without limits, writing out a blank check for its "defiant" friends to do whatever they want, because as Trump has assured those who have just "apparently defied" him, not only can they hammer away at Iran to their heart's content, but in addition, the US will also always defend them against Iran in case the latter should try to strike back. Even Washington's lies are revealing. In this case the lie of not being involved casts a sharp light on just how uninhibited the US elite is by now in publicly subordinating everything, including of course the interests of ordinary Americans, to Israel and its American lobby. The truth is, of course, that the US is deeply involved in the war of aggression against Iran. After Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria, the undead neocons are finally getting to the last - for now - victim on their old murder board. The lie is that the US pretends not to be involved. And the ultimate, unintentional reveal of the whole affair is that Washington's elites think a lie implying that they are absolutely obedient to Israel, even when directly "defied" by it, is a good-enough story. For absolute, craven submission to Israel is now considered perfectly normal. And that, actually, is a fundamental truth about America as it now really is. (
Toronto Sun
7 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Zelenskyy warns oil price surge could help Russia's war effort
Published Jun 14, 2025 • 5 minute read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to journalists during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. Photo by Evgeniy Maloletka / AP KYIV, Ukraine — A sharp rise in global oil prices following Israeli strikes on Iran will benefit Russia and bolster its military capabilities in the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday in comments that were under embargo until Saturday afternoon. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Speaking to journalists in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said the surge in oil prices threatens Ukraine's position on the battlefield, especially because Western allies have not enforced effective price caps on Russian oil exports. 'The strikes led to a sharp increase in the price of oil, which is negative for us,' Zelenskyy said. 'The Russians are getting stronger due to greater income from oil exports.' Global oil prices rose as much as 7% after Israel and Iran exchanged attacks over the past 48 hours, raising concerns that further escalation in the region could disrupt oil exports from the Middle East. 'We will raise this issue' Zelenskyy said he planned to raise the issue in an upcoming conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'In the near future, I will be in contact with the American side, I think with the president, and we will raise this issue,' he said. Zelenskyy also expressed concern that U.S. military aid could be diverted away from Ukraine toward Israel during renewed tensions in the Middle East. 'We would like aid to Ukraine not to decrease because of this,' he said. 'Last time, this was a factor that slowed down aid to Ukraine.' Ukraine's military needs have been sidelined by the United States in favour of supporting Israel, Zelenskyy said, citing a shipment of 20,000 interceptor missiles, designed to counter Iran-made Shahed drones, that had been intended for Ukraine but were redirected to Israel. 'And for us it was a blow,' he said. 'When you face 300 to 400 drones a day, most are shot down or go off course, but some get through. We were counting on those missiles.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. An air defence system, Barak-8, promised to Ukraine by Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu was sent to the U.S. for repairs but never delivered to Ukraine, Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian president conceded that momentum for the Coalition of the Willing, a group of 31 countries which have pledged to strengthen support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, has slowed because of U.S. ambivalence over providing a backstop. 'This situation has shown that Europe has not yet decided for itself that it will be with Ukraine completely if America is not there,' he said. Coalition offer under consideration The offer of a foreign troop 'reassurance force' pledged by the Coalition of the Willing was still on the table 'but they need a backstop, as they say, from America,' Zelenskyy said. 'This means that suddenly, if something happens, America will be with them and with Ukraine.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Ukrainian president also said the presence of foreign contingents in Ukraine would act as a security guarantee and allow Kyiv to make territorial compromises, which is the first time he has articulated a link between the reassurance force and concessions Kyiv is willing to make in negotiations with Russia. 'It is simply that their presence gives us the opportunity to compromise, when we can say that today our state does not have the strength to take our territories within the borders of 1991,' he said. But Europe and Ukraine are still waiting on strong signals from Trump. Without crushing U.S. sanctions against Russia, 'I will tell you frankly, it will be very difficult for us,' Zelenskyy said, adding that it would then fall on Europe to step up military aid to Ukraine. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In other developments, Russia repatriated more bodies of fallen soldiers in line with an agreement reached during peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, Russian officials said Saturday, cited by Russian state media. The officials said Ukraine did not return any bodies to Russia on Saturday. Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed in a statement that Russia returned 1,200 bodies. Ukraine and Russia also exchanged another group of ill and severely wounded servicemen on Saturday, officials from both countries said, although the sides did not report the numbers. Zelenskyy said in a post on X that the Ukrainian servicemen who returned were members of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Transport Special Service. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The first round of the staggered exchanges took place on Monday. The agreement to exchange prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers was the only tangible outcome of the June 2 Istanbul talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump held a 50-minute phone call Saturday to discuss both the escalating situation in the Middle East and Ukraine peace talks, Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said. According to Ushakov, Putin told Trump about the implementation of the agreements during peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, including the exchange of prisoners of war. 'Our president noted that an exchange of prisoners of war is taking place, including seriously wounded and prisoners of war under 25 years of age,' Ushakov said, along with expressing readiness to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Trump, he said, 'noted his interest in a speedy end to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.' Russia says push continues Continuing a renewed battlefield push along eastern and northeastern parts of the more than 1,000-kilometre (over 600-mile) front line, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed Saturday that its troops captured another village in the Donetsk region, Zelenyi Kut. The Ukrainian military had no immediate comment on the Russian claim. Russia launched 58 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight into Saturday, according to the Ukrainian air force, which said its air defences destroyed 23 drones while another 20 were jammed. A 45-year-old man was killed when a Russian drone dropped explosives in the Kherson region on Saturday, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said. Russia's defence ministry said it shot down 66 Ukrainian drones overnight. Attacks have continued despite discussions of a potential ceasefire in the war. During the June 2 talks in Istanbul, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators traded memorandums containing sharply divergent conditions that both sides see as nonstarters, making a quick deal unlikely. World Columnists Golf Sunshine Girls World
