Here's a look at some major projects Canada's leaders hope to fast-track
Out of the first ministers' meeting in Saskatoon, expectations were high that Prime Minister Mark Carney would release a list of nation-building projects that his government would prioritize.
He didn't.
However, Carney and Canada's premiers gave examples that could qualify for federal support and potentially be expedited for completion.
The Carney government intends to introduce legislation aimed to help identify and fast-track projects deemed in the national interest. The Liberals campaigned on making final decisions on projects within a two-year timeline, rather than the five years previously used.
Here's a look at some projects that could be sped up.
Wind West and Atlantic interties
You've likely heard of Energy East, the planned but never built bitumen pipeline from Alberta to New Brunswick.
Nova Scotia's Wind West aims to send renewable electricity from the East Coast westward.
With the help of offshore wind turbines, Premier Tim Houston is pitching a project that he says could generate enough electricity to power 27 per cent of the country's needs.
"I support the prime minister's vision in making Canada an energy superpower," Houston said in a video posted to social media. "Wind West could fuel battery plants, AI data centres, industries of the future. And it would transform our economy."
Houston told CBC's Power and Politics that he's looking to the federal government to support "an investment in transmission" to connect Atlantic Canada's grids to the rest of the country.
"We'd be looking for the federal government to support us on a pathway. [That] could be a national energy corridor with those transmission lines," Houston told host David Cochrane. "And these are mostly cables for our wind energy."
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said her province could become a hub that connects electricity from Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia to the rest of Canada and the United States.
Through new transmission connections known as interties, Holt said Atlantic provinces could sell their power across North America.
Grays Bay port and road
This project has been described as a "subway line" that could offer Nunavut easier access to its resource-rich areas and offer western provinces a direct link to the Northwest Passage.
A subsidiary of the region's Kitikmeot Inuit Association is proposing to build a deepwater port on Nunavut's mainland in the Coronation Gulf.
To access that port, a 230-kilometre all-weather road would need to be constructed across tundra, muskeg and waterways without interfering with the sensitive permafrost. The thick layer of frozen soil is prone to melt when disturbed through road construction.
A potential road would connect to Jericho Station, home to a defunct diamond mine, before continuing to a 600-kilometre winter road to Yellowknife. An all-season road could also eventually replace that ice road, which is closed most of the year.
The Grays Bay port could handle large cargo ships capable of loading and transporting materials from future critical mineral mines, both in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Local hunters and others, though, have raised concerns about the massive project's impact on the endangered Dolphin and Union caribou herd.
Port of Churchill
Another potential hub for critical minerals and fossil fuel exports could be through the expansion of the Port of Churchill.
The existing port, via the Arctic Gateway railway system, promotes itself as the shortest link from the Prairies to the Atlantic Ocean. It offers access to the Arctic, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South America.
In August 2024, the port announced it had shipped its first critical mineral shipment — zinc concentrate — to Belgium.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew stated in a letter to Carney that the province is seeking investments in icebreakers to expand the shipping season through Hudson Bay and for new "energy generation and transmission to power the project."
Northwest coast bitumen pipeline
At the closing news conference in Saskatoon, Carney said he was open to the idea of a second pipeline from the oilsands to Canada's West Coast, something that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wants.
"There is an ability to build that energy infrastructure, that oil pipeline," Carney said. "I agree with [Smith]. And so the opportunity is there, the market is there in Asia."
Canada has only one pipeline to tidewater that doesn't go to or through the U.S. — through B.C.'s Lower Mainland to Burnaby.
It's unclear what route a northwest coast pipeline would take, as no company is pitching one yet. But Enbridge's planned, but never built, Northern Gateway would have gone through northern B.C., destined for the Port of Kitimat.
The Trans Mountain Expansion to Burnaby was completed in 2024, and from conception to delivery, the government-owned pipeline faced fierce opposition due to its $34-billion cost and concerns over its environmental impact.
Canada purchased the project from American pipeline firm Kinder Morgan in 2018 when it was unclear it would be completed otherwise.
A new northern pipeline is already meeting resistance from B.C.'s premier, who said he doesn't support lifting the tanker ban along the north coast.
The province's deputy premier Niki Sharma said Monday that B.C. has "differences of opinion" on a pipeline through the north of the province.
Giant carbon capture pipeline
Canada's largest oilsands companies are proposing to build what could be one of the world's largest carbon capture and storage networks.
The 400-kilometre Pathways Alliance pipeline project would transport captured carbon dioxide from the oilsands in the Fort McMurray region and other sites to Cold Lake, Alta., for storage.
"The project proceeding is contingent upon obtaining sufficient fiscal and policy support and regulatory approval," according to its website.
The pipeline project is expected to cost $16.5 billion and is supposed to be operational by 2030.
Six companies are collaborating on the project: Suncor Energy Inc., Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Cenovus Energy Inc., Imperial Oil Ltd., MEG Energy Corp. and ConocoPhillips Canada.
Pathways has stated that the project could help its member companies achieve a 32 per cent reduction from 2019 emissions levels by 2030 and is the centrepiece of the industry's pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Ring of Fire
The Ring of Fire in northwestern Ontario has been a topic of discussion and controversy for years.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford views the crescent-shaped mineral deposit as a treasure trove for the province's electric vehicle supply chain.
But Ford also sees potential for the Ring of Fire to meet global demand for materials used in computer chips and high-tech military weapons.
There are no all-season roads, railways or energy infrastructure connecting the isolated area that is mostly muskeg, swamps and rivers.
The province and mining developers also face pushback from some First Nations and environmentalists. Members of Ojibway and Cree communities in the area worry its development represents a threat to their traditional way of life.
The Ring of Fire's location in the James Bay Lowlands places it in the Hudson Bay Lowlands. Together they form one of the world's largest wetlands. It's a massive carbon store and habitat for migratory birds.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Dropbox CEO Drew Houston says mandating a return to office is 'like trying to force people back into malls and movie theaters'
Forcing workers back to the office for most of the workweek is pretty futile if you ask Drew Houston. Houston, the CEO of Dropbox, equated office-first working arrangements to other relics of a pre-pandemic era in an episode of Fortune's "Leadership Next" podcast released Wednesday. "Forcing people back to the office is probably gonna be like trying to force people back into malls and movie theaters. Nothing wrong with the movie theater, but it's just a different world now," he said. Houston said a return to the office doesn't make sense when you're doing the same work you could do virtually. "It is unproductive if you just sort of try to photocopy what you're doing in the office onto Zoom," he said. "We don't have to do this—we can be a lot less dumb than forcing people back into a car three days a week or whatever, to literally be back on the same Zoom meeting they would have been at home. There's a better way to do this." At a time when many of Dropbox's tech peers have mandated a return to office in some form, the company remains optimistic that it can accomplish just as much remotely. Dropbox announced in 2020 it was adopting a "virtual first" approach to work, where remote work outside of the office would be employees' primary working arrangement. The next year, the company began following a 90/10 rule in which employees work remotely 90% of the year and attend a handful of off-sites in-person during the remaining 10% of the year. Houston previously said remote work has given companies "the keys that unlock this whole future of work." "You need a different social contract and to let go of control. But if you trust people and treat them like adults, they'll behave like adults. Trust over surveillance," he told Fortune in 2023.
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Liberals poised to table bill to knock down internal trade barriers
OTTAWA - The Liberal government is poised to table landmark legislation to break down internal trade barriers and increase labour mobility within Canada. The government has put a bill on the House of Commons notice paper that could potentially be tabled as early as today. Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged to break down internal trade barriers by Canada Day to create one economy — although the time left on the parliamentary calendar suggests the legislation will not gain Royal Assent by the time the House rises for the summer. It also comes just days after Carney met with the country's premiers to discuss the need to build major projects across Canada and fast-track their approval. Several other provinces, including Ontario and Quebec, have also tabled such legislation to remove interprovincial barriers to the trade of goods across the country. It comes against a backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump roiling the country's economy with stop-and-go tariffs in an escalating trade war — and as Carney has been engaged in behind-the-scenes talks with Trump on trade. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
In the news today: Liberals set to table internal trade bill
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed... Liberals set to table internal trade bill The Liberal government is poised to table landmark legislation to break down internal trade barriers and increase labour mobility within Canada. The government has put a bill on the House of Commons notice paper that could potentially be tabled as early as today. Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged to break down internal trade barriers by Canada Day to create one economy — although the time left on the parliamentary calendar suggests the legislation will not gain Royal Assent by the time the House rises for the summer. Several other provinces, including Ontario and Quebec, have also tabled such legislation to remove interprovincial barriers to the trade of goods across the country. It comes against a backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump roiling the country's economy with stop-and-go tariffs in an escalating trade war — and as Carney has been engaged in behind-the-scenes talks with Trump on trade. Here's what else we're watching... Wildfire evacuees take refuge in Niagara Falls Some Manitoba residents who have taken refuge in Niagara Falls, Ont., after fleeing wildfires raging in their province say they're grateful for the hospitality but worry they won't have a home to return to once the flames die down. Kelly Ouskun says he saw so much fire and smoke along the highway on the drive from his family's home in Split Lake to Thompson, about 145 kilometres away, that he felt "nauseated" and his eyes hurt. The family flew to Niagara Falls from there and he says they've now settled in at one of the five downtown hotels taking in evacuees, while hanging on to hope that what he's heard about his home — that it's still standing and intact — is true. More than 18,000 people have been displaced due to the wildfires in Manitoba since last week, including 5,000 residents of Flin Flon near the Saskatchewan boundary, along with members from at least four First Nations. Some residents from Pimicikamak Cree Nation, east of Flin Flon, were taken to Niagara Falls on Sunday, with more arriving since then. Wildfires included in G7 leaders summit planning Security officials at the G7 leaders summit in Kananaskis say plans are in place, including the possibility of evacuations, if wildfires become a serious threat later this month. Kananaskis, located about an hour west of Calgary, is in the foothills and front ranges of the Rocky Mountains. Its western edge borders Banff National Park and the Alberta-B.C. boundary. Its remote location is considered to be ideal from a security standpoint for the meeting of the leaders from Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy, as well as the European Union from June 15 to 17. But with an explosion of wildfires in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and in northern Alberta, a contingency plan is in place if the situation moves south. "Wildfire has been part of our planning since the summit was announced here in Alberta," said RCMP Chief Supt. David Hall, an event security director for the Integrated Safety and Security Group, in a recent briefing. StatCan to publish May jobs numbers Statistics Canada is set to reveal employment numbers for May today. A poll of economists provided by LSEG Data & Analytics heading into today's release calls for a loss of 12,500 jobs last month and for the unemployment rate to rise a tenth of a percentage point to seven per cent. Canada's unemployment rate rose two ticks to 6.9 per cent in April amid a gain of 7,400 jobs. That month's figures got a one-time boost in hiring tied to the federal election but also showed a contraction in manufacturing as the tariff dispute with the United States started to bite. The Bank of Canada will be watching the labour market data closely just two days after it left its benchmark interest rate on hold for a second straight time. Fans react to criticism of Gretzky over Trump ties It wasn't long ago that some Canadians were up in arms about hockey legend Wayne Gretzky's ties to U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. But as the Edmonton Oilers skate their way through the Stanley Cup final, hockey fans say it's time to let bygones be bygones. The statue was vandalized in March and smeared with what appeared to be and strongly smelled like feces. On Wednesday, a hip-high metal fence was up around the bronze figure. Gretzky, the Ontario-born hockey star who led the Oilers to four Stanley Cup victories in the 1980s, recently drew the ire of Canadians for his public support of Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire for Canada to join the U.S and become its 51st state. Darren Rogers, a Gretzky fan since the Oilers' inception into the NHL in 1979, said Gretzky's leadership led the team to win multiple Stanley Cups. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025. The Canadian Press
