Alberta and Ontario premiers announce Northern Shield Energy Corridor pipeline

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith unveiled a 3,300‑kilometre crude‑oil pipeline, the Northern Shield Energy Corridor, running from Hardisty, Alberta to Sarnia, Ontario. The project is slated to transport an initial 500,000 barrels per day, with potential expansion to 800,000 barrels per day, and will be built entirely on Canadian soil using Canadian steel and labour.

Proponents say the pipeline will bolster feedstock security for Sarnia‑Lambton’s refineries and provide a strategic petroleum reserve in the region. Ontario will conduct a feasibility study within a year and is engaging the federal Major Projects Office, while both provinces indicated the possibility of extending the line to the east coast or to Churchill, Manitoba.

The Otipemisiwak Métis Government, representing over 78,000 Métis Albertans, issued a statement demanding early involvement, noting that the duty to consult under Section 35 of the Constitution begins as soon as the project is announced, not after a final map is produced. The government called for an interim consultation protocol before the project proceeds further.