Latest news with #TimHouston
CBC
5 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
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.
CTV News
10 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Nova Scotia removes trade barriers with Alberta, P.E.I.
Nova Scotia's provincial flag flies on a flag pole in Ottawa, Friday, July 3, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Nova Scotia has announced that trade barriers with Alberta and Prince Edward Island will be removed immediately. Meanwhile, trade barriers between Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and the federal government are expected to be removed upon proclamation of their equivalent legislation. 'Removing these barriers will open up new opportunities for Nova Scotian businesses and help grow our economy – that means more jobs for Nova Scotians,' said Premier Tim Houston in a Wednesday news release from the province. 'This is how Nova Scotia and Canada can be more economically secure.' The barriers being removed focus on the following three areas: ending Canadian Free Trade Agreement exemptions that limit interprovincial trade with Nova Scotia allowing goods or services that are legally sold, used or provided in another province to automatically be able to be sold/used/provided in Nova Scotia without having to meet Nova Scotia's specific labelling, packaging, certification or inspection requirements removing labour mobility barriers by requiring regulators to process equivalent licences within 10 business days and restricting application requirements to evidence of good standing and liability insurance. Nova Scotia introduced the Free Trade and Mobility within Canada Act in February. The act allows the province to remove barriers to trade and investment with others. Duncan Robertson with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business in Nova Scotia says the news is a good first step in breaking down interprovincial trade barriers. 'Simply put, this is good news for small businesses in our province. Now, eight in 10 small businesses across Canada are looking to their provinces to take the necessary steps to follow Nova Scotia's lead,' he said in the release. The province says interprovincial exports contribute about 17 per cent of Nova Scotia's gross domestic product. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
Moving energy from Eastern Canada prioritized at first ministers' meeting
A plan to generate and transmit energy from Eastern Canada to other markets has been prioritized as a 'nation-building' project, following a meeting with the premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney. The Eastern Energy Partnership would link hydro and wind power from Atlantic Canada and Quebec to destinations in Western Canada and U.S. states in New England. An initial cost of $8 billion has been tagged for transmission infrastructure. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said a portion of the plan, dubbed 'Wind West,' would send energy from the province's offshore wind zones via a transmission cable. 'Nova Scotia's Wind West project can produce enough energy that is the equivalent of powering up to 27 per cent of the country's needs,' said Houston in a social media video post Monday evening. 'This energy is very valuable. New England has massive extra energy needs and they're certainly not alone.' New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said she was 'really happy' to see the Eastern Energy Partnership emerge as a top priority at the first ministers' meeting, held in Saskatoon on Monday. 'The provinces have a role to play, the federal government has a role to play,' said Holt to reporters. 'They've expressed a strong desire to see those connections made between provinces to have an integrated grid that contributes to New Brunswick and to Canada being an energy superpower.' Oil pipelines were a focus during the first ministers' meeting, with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith expressing interest for potential pipeline routes that would bypass Quebec. 'I think what New Brunswick is most interested in right now is natural gas and extending a natural gas line that stops in Quebec City, a couple hundred kilometres to the border of New Brunswick,' said Holt. 'And then through New Brunswick to the different places that I mentioned: Belledune, down the west and connecting in at Fredericton and the Maritimes and northeast pipeline. 'That source of natural gas is something the industry wants. And then we can take it further and look at what we do with our LNG terminal in Saint John, if there's a reliable source of gas to put back into a liquefaction plan.' Holt responded to questions about Smith's pitch for an oil pipeline from Alberta to Hudson Bay to reach eastern markets, and what role New Brunswick could play. 'I think the timeline on a project like that is extensive,' said Holt. 'Probably a bit longer than it would take to build a couple hundred kilometres of natural gas line from Quebec City down.'
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
N.S. premier 'incredibly optimistic' after meeting with Carney
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston tells Power & Politics it was 'pretty refreshing' to sit around the first ministers' table discussing Canada's economy all day at the first ministers' meeting in Saskatoon.
CTV News
5 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Nova Scotia NDP says province too secretive, must release environmental racism report
Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender speaks to reporters at the provincial legislature in Halifax, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese HALIFAX — Nova Scotia's Opposition NDP called on Premier Tim Houston's government Friday to release a report about the province's long history of environmental racism, saying it's a matter of accountability. An eight-member panel was expected to submit its report to Houston's government in December 2023. Justice Minister Becky Druhan, who is also responsible for the Office of Equity and Anti-Racism, did not answer Thursday when pressed by reporters to explain why the government is sitting on the report. Druhan also wouldn't answer when asked whether she had seen the panel's recommendations, saying its work predated her appointment as minister. NDP Leader Claudia Chender told reporters Friday that Druhan's evasiveness is part of a 'concerning pattern' by a government that is acting as if it's above accountability. 'People are noticing this government's aversion to transparency,' said Chender. 'Having a majority (government) is not a blank cheque to keep Nova Scotians in the dark.' As another example, she pointed to the government's failure to publicly disclose it had agreed earlier this year to sign a $170-million federal infrastructure deal. As for the environmental racism panel, it was appointed in June 2023 to look at how racism affects a community's natural environment. The idea for the panel came from NDP caucus member Suzy Hansen, who proposed its creation in an amendment to climate change legislation that was passed in the fall of 2023. Hansen said she was 'disappointed and frustrated' to hear that Druhan had refused to provide any information about the panel's report or its recommendations. She said the report's release would mean a great deal to the province's Black and indigenous communities. 'This is an opportunity for the government to show that they, in good faith, are going to do the right thing -- and they didn't do any of that by hiding the information,' Hansen said. Examples of environmental racism in Nova Scotia include the toxic dump and landfill that operated for decades near the historic Black communities of Shelburne and Lincolnville. As well, the cleanup continues at Boat Harbour, N.S., near the Pictou Landing First Nation, where a once pristine body of water served for decades as an effluent lagoon for a now defunct paper mill. The NDP leader's news conference came a day after Chender called for more transparency around the government's push to encourage uranium exploration in three areas of the province with known deposits. Chender was reacting to comments made by Natural Resources Minister Tory Rusthon, who confirmed Thursday that he has the power under the Minerals Resources Act to compel private property owners to allow mineral exploration on their land. But he said that option has barely been used 'over decades.' 'My understanding is, yes, it can be (used), but right now we are encouraging landowners and the researchers to have the conversation, ' said Rushton. 'They'd have to prove to me that they've had the negotiations before we'd ever intervene.' Opponents of uranium exploration, however, have drawn attention to the fact that Rushton used the act earlier this year to allow an Australian company to explore for lithium deposits without the permission of landowners in southwestern Nova Scotia. 'Landowners are very concerned about this,' Chender said Thursday. 'I think we need more clarity.' By Keith Doucette This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.
