Canada designates Alberta‑backed West Coast oil pipeline as national interest project

The federal government announced that the proposed 1,250‑kilometre oil pipeline from Bruderheim, Alberta to a port near Delta, British Columbia will be listed as a “national interest” project under the Building Canada Act. The designation allows fast‑tracking of approvals and the ability to bypass certain environmental regulations. A notice published in the Canada Gazette on Aug. 1 set a Sept. 18 deadline for public comments. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc will coordinate with the Alberta and British Columbia governments while Indigenous consultations continue.

The pipeline, backed by the Alberta government, is designed to transport up to one million barrels of crude per day to international markets. In a related agreement signed on July 2, Prime Minister Mark Carney and British Columbia Premier David Eby committed to a revenue‑sharing framework that would require the pipeline operator to make an annual payment to British Columbia, a mechanism described by critics as a toll for the province’s “economic upside.” The payment terms are to be finalized by Dec. 1.