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Canada named five major projects on Thursday it said would be eligible for fast-track approvals as part of a campaign to diversify the economy and reduce reliance on the United States as tariffs bite.
The government of Mark Carney, frustrated by a complex process that means it can take companies a decade or more to obtain approval for a mine or a pipeline, has set up a major projects office designed to slash red tape.
That projects office is being headed by former Trans Mountain board chair Dawn Farrell.
“We used to build big things in this country, and we used to build them quickly. It’s time to get back at it, and get on with it,” Prime Minister Carney told a televised press conference.
Among the five projects is a plan to double production of liquefied natural gas at the Shell-led LNG Canada plant in the western province of British Columbia.
The proposed expansion of the Red Chris gold and copper mine, operated by Newmont, and Foran’s plans to build a copper mine in Saskatchewan are also on the list, as are projects to expand Montreal’s terminal container port and to build a small modular nuclear reactor in Ontario.
Bill C-5, which moved through Parliament at lightning speed in the spring, is meant to streamline and speed up approvals for large infrastructure projects the prime minister and his cabinet decide are in the national interest.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she is not concerned that a new oil pipeline is not on the initial list of projects.
She says the federal government needs to do more to attract new oil and gas investment and called again for the repeal of the West Coast tanker ban put in place by the previous Liberal government.
Prime Minister Mark Carney named the first five projects on the federal government’s fast-track list on Thursday — part of his plan to attract outside investment and bolster the Canadian economy.
The government also released an expanded list of projects not quite ready for prime time that includes additional initiatives in Eastern Canada and the North.
The first five initiatives will be referred for review to the new Major Projects Office, which the government says will offer recommendations and help to structure financing and consensus among major stakeholders.
Ottawa says projects recommended by the office will have a maximum approval timeline of two years.
Carney said the projects shepherded by the new office must advance Canadian and Indigenous economic interests and have a high likelihood of being completed.
Here’s what you need to know about the first five shortlisted projects under Ottawa’s Building Canada Act.
Phase II of LNG Canada — Kitimat, B.C.
LNG Canada is the country’s first large-scale liquefied natural gas exporter. It came online earlier this year.
The company says its first phase has the capacity to export 14 million tonnes of LNG per year.
LNG Canada is planning to scale up with a second phase that Ottawa says would double the plant’s production capacity.
The federal government describes LNG Canada as a pathway to delivering low-carbon Canadian energy to meet demand in Europe and Asia.
The first of LNG Canada’s liquefied natural gas shipments was loaded onto a cargo ship and exported in late June. Ten shipments in total had departed as of last week, the company said.
Red Chris Mine expansion — Northwest British Columbia
Red Chris is a gold and copper mine about 80 km south of Dease Lake, B.C.
The mine’s expansion project involves a transition from open-pit to a block-cave mining method.
Ottawa says the expansion proposal would extend the mine’s lifespan by more than a decade and seek to boost Canada’s overall copper production by 15 per cent.
Three workers were trapped underground in the Red Chris mine for roughly 60 hours earlier this summer before a successful rescue attempt.
McIlvenna Bay copper mine project — Central Saskatchewan
Ottawa is eyeing a second copper mine in what the federal government calls one of Canada’s “richest mineral belts.”
Foran, the company that owns the McIlvenna Bay mine, 65 km southwest of Creighton, Sask., says the project sits on tonnes of copper and zinc.
The federal government announced a $41-million investment in Foran’s green expansion plans earlier this year.
The mining firm is looking to make McIlvenna Bay the first carbon-neutral copper project in Canada through the use of battery electric vehicles, heat recovery and water recycling programs. The federal government previously suggested the mine could become “a blueprint for responsible and sustainable mining.”
Ottawa also claims this project would strengthen Canada’s position as a global supplier of critical minerals for clean energy and other modern infrastructure.
Darlington New Nuclear project — Clarington, Ont.
Ottawa says a planned project at Ontario’s Darlington nuclear facility will make Canada the first G7 country to have an operational small modular reactor.
These SMRs are designed to be factory-built and deployable for small-scale uses. Ottawa says the first of four planned SMRs at Darlington would provide enough energy to power 300,000 homes.
The federal government kicked off a Canada-wide SMR action plan five years ago, billing the new technology as a safe, clean and affordable energy source.
Ontario Power Generation pegs the budget for the entire four-unit project at $20.9 billion.
Contrecœur Terminal container project — Contrecœur, Que.
The first port project up for consideration is in Contrecœur, Que., where the federal government wants to use public lands to build new port facilities managed by the Montréal Port Authority.
Land for the project was acquired in the late 1980s and consultations on the project started over a decade ago.
The site is roughly 40 kilometres northeast of Montréal and would have a maximum annual capacity of 1.15 million containers. This expansion plan would boost the Port of Montréal’s capacity by roughly 60 per cent, Ottawa says.
Expanding the port will give Eastern Canada the infrastructure it needs to diversify Canada’s trade routes, the government says.
Additional projects
The federal government also announced additional projects and ideas up for consideration that need further development before they can be added to the fast-track list.
They include the Wind West Atlantic Energy project in Nova Scotia; Pathways Plus, an Alberta-based carbon capture, utilization and storage project; an Arctic economic and security corridor to support mining and defence in the North; upgrades to the Port of Churchill in Manitoba; and the Alto high-speed rail corridor project between Toronto and Quebec City.
Critical mineral projects more broadly are also identified as a top priority for the government as it pushes for more major project development. A backgrounder document released by the federal government identifies Ontario’s Ring of Fire as an example.
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