Latest news with #NorthernGateway
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Prince Rupert mayor sides with Eby over Smith on Northern Gateway pipeline reboot
OTTAWA — The mayor of northern British Columbia's busiest port city says he's following Premier David Eby's lead in taking a wait-and-see approach to rebooting the cancelled Northern Gateway Pipeline project. Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond told the National Post on Friday that he's reserving judgment until he sees a new proposal on the table. 'I'm a little bit (more) with Premier Eby… Until there's a project and a proponent, we're not going to spend much time on it,' said Pond. 'It's so hard to have a discussion about an imaginary project.' Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has pushed heavily for a revival of the shelved pipeline, which would have shipped up to 525,000 barrels of Alberta oil per day through nearby Kitimat, B.C., and ultimately to markets in the Asia-Pacific region via tanker. Smith has said that the revamped North Coast pipeline should end at the Port of Prince Rupert, citing its close proximity to potential buyers in markets like Japan and South Korea. She's also said that shipping Alberta oil through northern B.C. is one of the best things Canada can do to reduce its economic dependency on top trading partner the United States. But Eby says that Smith is getting ahead of herself with no entity, public or private, coming forward to lead the project. 'There's no proponent, there's no money, there's no project right now,' Eby said this week during a trade visit Seoul, South Korea. Pond says he agrees with Smith that Prince Rupert is the most logical destination for a new pipeline carrying Alberta oil to the Pacific Ocean. 'If (technical dimensions) were the only thing you were scoring it on… Rupert would score the highest,' said Pond. 'Prince Rupert is a very deep natural harbour, doesn't need to be dredged (and) we're not moving through a congested traffic area (like) Vancouver.' But he added that a new oil pipeline wouldn't make or break Prince Rupert economically, and may not be worth the risk of an oil spill in the sensitive marine ecosystem. Pond said that, like Eby, he supports the federal moratorium on oil tanker traffic along B.C.'s northern coast. 'There are values around the Great Bear Rainforest and the environment on the North Coast being as pristine as it is,' said Pond. Residents of Kitimat voted against Northern Gateway by a margin of 58.4 per cent to 41.6 per cent in a non-binding 2014 plebiscite. Pond says he'd support any new oil pipeline project being put to the people of Prince Rupert in a similar manner. 'When you get to that place, a plebiscite may be one of the things that we want to consider in terms of gauging the community's voice,' said Pond. Pond said earlier this week that B.C. 'owes' Alberta a fair hearing on the question of a new West Coast heavy oil pipeline. 'I think we owe it… to our neighbours, our fellow Canadians, to at least examine it very, very seriously.' National Post rmohamed@ Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
Calgary Herald
13-06-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
No private company proposing to build an oil pipeline to tidewater? 'There will be soon', Smith says
Article content 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.' Article content '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.' Article content Article content Article content 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.' Article content Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content Article content 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: Article content 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. Article content 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.
Vancouver Sun
03-06-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Pipeline politics and economic corridor dominate first ministers meeting in Saskatoon
The national unity that coalesced because of U.S. President Donald Trump's threats against Canada was wobbly during the first ministers meeting in Saskatoon on Monday as B.C.'s deputy premier acknowledged a 'difference of opinion' with Alberta over the need for a new pipeline to Prince Rupert. With no project currently proposed for a pipeline to the north coast of the province, B.C. would rather see the existing Trans-Mountain Pipeline to Burnaby brought to full capacity through the dredging of Burrard Inlet, which would allow larger ships to carry more oil out of the Port of Vancouver. 'There's no proponent at this time. There's no project that is really there to look at,' said Niki Sharma, who is representing the province while Premier David Eby is on a 10-day trade mission to Asia. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'There is a pipeline that's operating through B.C. in the TMX, and I understand there's discussions about increasing the capacity of that. The projects that we're going to be bringing forward are about clean energy and critical minerals in our province and economic corridors.' Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said there could be a 'national unity crisis' if Prime Minister Mark Carney doesn't agree to remove the tanker ban off the Pacific coast and help increase Alberta's ability to export oil and gas to markets other than the U.S. She has also said that a new pipeline is needed to fulfil the 'grand bargain' that is decarbonization of her province's oilsands through carbon capture and storage. She estimates that project will cost at least $16 billion. The path that Smith wants to see the pipeline take is similar to the Northern Gateway project that was cancelled in 2016 in the face of opposition from numerous First Nations and the federal government. 'Having an energy corridor to northern British Columbia that includes a bitumen pipeline would be a good first step in the communique, understanding that we won't get a serious proponent from the private sector unless we address those underlying conditions,' she said Monday. Sharma said it is 'unfortunate that national unity is even on the table' and that she wants to see provincial and territorial leaders agree to a path that they can move forward together on. For his part, Carney said following the meeting that there is definitely the possibility for a pipeline to be built to B.C.'s north coast. 'It provides diversification of trade partners. It provides the development of new industries. It provides economic activity across the west and into the north. So, yes, there's real potential there,' said the prime minister. 'We took up a good deal of our time and discussions and potential to move forward on that. And if further developed, the federal government will look to advance it.' In a statement released after the meeting was over, Sharma reiterated her position that the province is focused on getting the North Coast Transmission Line built as well as possibly helping the Trans-Mountain Pipeline reach its full capacity. She said that building a 'theoretical' pipeline connecting to B.C.'s north coast is not a focus. 'We are focusing on shovel-ready projects,' Sharma said, 'not theoretical projects with no proponents. There is also an existing, underused pipeline Canadian taxpayers paid $34 billion for, with capacity to spare. By focusing on ready-to-go projects instead, we can work together to build Canada's stronger economy.' Where B.C. is in lock-step with its provincial counterparts, particularly those from the Western provinces, is the need for an economic corridor linking Prince Rupert and B.C.'s coast to the Port of Churchill in Manitoba and Grays Bay in Nunavut. At a meeting of the premiers of B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as well as the northern territories in May, there was a collective agreement that key infrastructure such as roads, highways and railways need to be expanded between the western provinces to facilitate interprovincial trade. They also said that the infrastructure would help move goods such as critical minerals, uranium, potash and natural gas to markets both in Asia and along the eastern seaboard. Carney has made the idea of a 'One Canada Economy' a centrepiece of his plan to counter U.S. economic threats and said that trade barriers between provinces and territories need to be eliminated by July 1. His express goal for the meeting was for premiers to put a list of projects 'of national importance' on the table for discussion but, while he has also talked about the need to make the country an 'energy superpower,' he has tempered that by saying a pipeline is only on the table if there is consensus between premiers. Werner Antweiler, a UBC economics professor, said there is a lot of 'wishful thinking' floating around regarding the potential for a pipeline to B.C.'s north coast, and that unless a proponent steps forward and the tanker ban is lifted, it is unlikely to happen. At the same time, he said the wider conversation around an economic corridor is critical, particularly when it comes to the expansion of ports such as Prince Rupert and Churchill to get more goods to market. 'There are some very sensible proposals, especially about the port facilities. Some of this has been discussed for many years. It will come down to what is the amount of money that the federal government is putting into any of these projects,' said Antweiler. Reid Skelton-Morven, a Prince Rupert councillor and member of the Ts'msyen and Nisga'a Nations, said a $750-million expansion of the city's port is well underway. He said he was greatly supportive of the idea of a western economic corridor, but that it needs to be done in concert with all levels of government as well as First Nations. 'A decade ago, this might have been kind of really far fetched, but today, with sinking global markets, rising logistics costs and the pressure on existing infrastructure, we need big and visionary moves like this one,' said Skelton-Morven. 'These projects can't just pass through all of our communities, they need to build them up from the ground up.' alazenby@
Vancouver Sun
02-06-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Pipeline politics and economic corridor dominate first ministers' meeting in Saskatoon
The national unity that coalesced because of U.S. President Donald Trump's threats against Canada was wobbly during the first ministers' meeting in Saskatoon on Monday as B.C.'s deputy premier acknowledged a 'difference of opinion' with Alberta over the need for a new pipeline to Prince Rupert. With no project currently proposed for a pipeline to the north coast of the province, B.C. would rather see the existing Trans-Mountain Pipeline to Burnaby brought to full capacity through the dredging of Burrard Inlet, which would allow larger ships to carry more oil out of the Port of Vancouver. 'There's no proponent at this time. There's no project that is really there to look at,' said Niki Sharma, who is representing the province while Premier David Eby is on a 10-day trade mission to Asia. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'There is a pipeline that's operating through B.C. in the TMX, and I understand there's discussions about increasing the capacity of that. The projects that we're going to be bringing forward are about clean energy and critical minerals in our province and economic corridors.' Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said there could be a 'national unity crisis' if Prime Minister Mark Carney doesn't agree to remove the tanker ban off the Pacific coast and help increase Alberta's ability to export oil and gas to markets other than the U.S. She has also said that a new pipeline is needed to fulfil the 'grand bargain' that is decarbonization of her province's oilsands through carbon capture and storage. She estimates that project will cost at least $16 billion. The path that Smith wants to see the pipeline take is similar to the Northern Gateway project that was cancelled in 2016 in the face of opposition from numerous First Nations and the federal government. 'Having an energy corridor to northern British Columbia that includes a bitumen pipeline would be a good first step in the communique, understanding that we won't get a serious proponent from the private sector unless we address those underlying conditions,' she said Monday. Sharma said it is 'unfortunate that national unity is even on the table' and that she wants to see provincial and territorial leaders agree to a path that they can move forward together on. For his part, Carney said following the meeting that there is definitely the possibility for a pipeline to be built to B.C.'s north coast. 'It provides diversification of trade partners. It provides the development of new industries. It provides economic activity across the west and into the north. So, yes, there's real potential there,' said the prime minister. 'We took up a good deal of our time and discussions and potential to move forward on that. And if further developed, the federal government will look to advance it.' In a statement released after the meeting was over, Sharma reiterated her position that the province is focused on getting the North Coast Transmission Line built as well as possibly helping the Trans-Mountain Pipeline reach its full capacity. She said that building a 'theoretical' pipeline connecting to B.C.'s pipeline is not a focus. 'We are focusing on shovel-ready projects,' Sharma said, 'not theoretical projects with no proponents. There is also an existing, underused pipeline Canadian taxpayers paid $34 billion for, with capacity to spare. By focusing on ready-to-go projects instead, we can work together to build Canada's stronger economy.' Where B.C. is in lock-step with its provincial counterparts, particularly those from the Western provinces, is the need for an economic corridor linking Prince Rupert and B.C.'s coast to the Port of Churchill in Manitoba and Grays Bay in Nunavut. At a meeting of the premiers of B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as well as the northern territories in May, there was a collective agreement that key infrastructure such as roads, highways and railways need to be expanded between the western provinces to facilitate interprovincial trade. They also said that the infrastructure would help move goods such as critical minerals, uranium, potash and natural gas to markets both in Asia and along the eastern seaboard. Carney has made the idea of a 'One Canada Economy' a centrepiece of his plan to counter U.S. economic threats and said that trade barriers between provinces and territories need to be eliminated by July 1. His express goal for the meeting was for premiers to put a list of projects 'of national importance' on the table for discussion but, while he has also talked about the need to make the country an 'energy superpower,' he has tempered that by saying a pipeline is only on the table if there is consensus between premiers. Werner Antweiler, a UBC economics professor, said there is a lot of 'wishful thinking' floating around regarding the potential for a pipeline to B.C.'s north coast, and that unless a proponent steps forward and the tanker ban is lifted, it is unlikely to happen. At the same time, he said the wider conversation around an economic corridor is critical, particularly when it comes to the expansion of ports such as Prince Rupert and Churchill to get more goods to market. 'There are some very sensible proposals, especially about the port facilities. Some of this has been discussed for many years. It will come down to what is the amount of money that the federal government is putting into any of these projects,' said Antweiler. Reid Skelton-Morven, a Prince Rupert councillor and member of the Ts'msyen and Nisga'a Nations, said a $750-million expansion of the city's port is well underway. He said he was greatly supportive of the idea of a western economic corridor, but that it needs to be done in concert with all levels of government as well as First Nations. 'A decade ago, this might have been kind of really far fetched, but today, with sinking global markets, rising logistics costs and the pressure on existing infrastructure, we need big and visionary moves like this one,' said Skelton-Morven. 'These projects can't just pass through all of our communities, they need to build them up from the ground up.' alazenby@
Calgary Herald
23-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Varcoe: Ottawa's new resources minister promises clean slate, but oilpatch looks for 'concrete actions' on new projects
In a world of political messaging, Prime Minister Mark Carney wants to build, baby, build. Article content Article content Ultimately, it will be concrete action — not just words — that will determine how the relationship between Tim Hodgson and the Canadian oil and gas sector unfolds in the coming months. Article content In his first major speech since taking over the portfolio, Hodgson sent a clear signal Friday to a Calgary business audience that he wants to reset the often-testy interaction between Ottawa and the country's largest export industry. Article content Article content Article content More significantly, he plainly backed the idea that Canadian oil and gas can grow the economy and be a tool for global stability, supplying other countries with energy. 'I want to be very clear. In the new economy we are building — Canada will no longer be defined by delay. We will be defined by delivery,' Hodgson told the Calgary Chamber of Commerce audience — twice, in case anyone missed it the first time. Article content 'Energy is Canada's superpower. It gives us an opportunity to build the strongest economy in the G7.' Article content It was a stark contrast to the general indifference, or active hostility, that seeped out of the pores of the Trudeau government, which had little desire to see Canada significantly boost oil and gas output or build export infrastructure. Article content Article content 'He really extended an olive branch to the energy sector,' said Sonya Savage, a former Alberta energy and environment minister in the UCP government. Article content The previous Trudeau government did get the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project finished, with federal government money required to buy and build it. But other pipeline projects, such as Northern Gateway, Energy East and Keystone XL, floundered. Article content Contentious Liberal government policies such as the Impact Assessment Act and the incoming oilpatch emissions cap also fractured the relationship and broke any trust.
