Alberta maps multiple oil pipeline routes through British Columbia amid federal tanker ban

Confidential documents obtained by CBC News reveal that Alberta has identified at least four distinct routes for a proposed one‑million‑barrel‑per‑day oil export corridor to the British Columbia coast. All potential port sites – from the Vancouver area to remote northern B.C. locations such as Observatory Inlet, Stewart and Grassy Point – fall within the federal oil‑tanker moratorium zone, a point of opposition for the B.C. government and many coastal First Nations.

The routes include a northern corridor from Fort McMurray to Fort St John, two alternatives originating near Fort Saskatchewan (one following the abandoned Northern Gateway alignment and another turning north past Tumber Ridge), and a fourth southern option targeting a Vancouver‑area port. The plans emphasize routes that bypass Wet’suwet’en territory and feature ports in Nisga’a‑controlled areas, which officials say have shown development support. Alberta aims to submit a detailed proposal to the federal Major Projects Office by July 1, with construction potentially beginning as early as 2027. The federal government retains final authority over inter‑provincial pipelines, and B.C. Premier David Eby has expressed frustration at being excluded from the consultation process.