Canadian Pipelines, Old and New, are in the Spotlight Again

 

Enbridge to fund policing of Line 5 reroute

Enbridge has agreed to funnel money to U.S. law enforcement in anticipation of protests against its Line 5 pipeline reroute project, a move that has raised concerns about the depth of the company’s influence in policing issues.

The Calgary-based company says it volunteered the public safety fund to help governments in Wisconsin cover the extra costs related to the rerouting of the pipeline opposed by Indigenous communities.

The proposed deal has alarmed some local residents and observers in Canada who say it smacks of a conflict of interest and fear it could incentivize police to act as the company’s hired security.

“It’s hard to think that there’s not some kind of transactional benefit to paying the bills,” said Jeffrey Monaghan, a Carleton University sociologist who’s written extensively on the policing of protests.

New coastal pipelines would bring in billions: MEI

A new report says Canada’s ability to sell oil in markets outside of the United States has paid off big time so far, underscoring the urgent need for more pipelines to coastal waters.

Public policy think tank MEI says the average price-gap between light U.S. and heavy Alberta crude blends narrowed by 37.5 per cent between the 18-month leadup to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion’s completion in 2024 and the 18 months that followed.

It says that resulted in a US$16.7-billion boost to industry revenues between June 2024 and November 2025, filtering through to Alberta government coffers in the form of royalties.

Before the Trans Mountain expansion started up, non-U. S. Canadian oil exports made up only three per cent of the total, but that proportion grew to 14 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Gas prices showing signs of easing, for now

Crude oil prices have dipped slightly amid hope for an easing of conflict in the Middle East, but remain far above prices before the United States launched its attack against Iran.

The Canadian Automobile Association says Canadian gasoline prices averaged $1.70 per litre as of Wednesday, down from a peak for the past month of about $1.74 per litre reached on Tuesday.

That’s still much higher than a month ago, when prices were hovering around $1.30 per litre.

Crude oil traded for roughly US$90 per barrel on Wednesday, after topping US$100 per barrel on Monday, before U.S. President Donald Trump said he was walking back a threat to bomb Iranian power plants.

Northern Canada facing power struggles

Representatives from all three Canadian territories say the need to improve their aging electricity grids has reached a critical level requiring billions of dollars from the federal government to update, and in some cases, keep the lights on.

Yukon’s energy minister says the need is “no longer theoretical” after a frigid week in December nearly required rolling blackouts in Whitehorse.

Temperatures nearing -50 C saw demand hit 90 per cent of what could be generated, at a time outside of peak hours, Ted Laking said.

Industrial consumers like mines were already disconnected and officials with the city and the territory were trying to decide what could go next.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 26, 2026

The Canadian Press

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