Two northwest British Columbia projects are on the initial list of major projects the federal government is considering for fast-tracking.
The list of five projects released Thursday by Prime Minister Mark Carney include the second phase of the LNG Canada facility in Kitimat and the expansion of the Red Chris Mine, about 18-kilometres southeast of Iskut.
Carney announced the launch of the new Major Projects Office (MPO) last month. The office will fast-track regulatory assessment and approvals and help structure financing for projects deemed to be in Canada’s national interest.
The federal government said the MPO will work with proponents, provinces, territories and Indigenous communities as it considers the projects.
LNG Canada Phase 2 is expected to double the company’s production of liquified natural gas. Ottawa said the project is expected to attract $33 billion in private-sector capital to Canada.
Phase 1 of the project saw the Kitimat facility load its first cargo for export in June. It marked its 10th cargo this month.
The Red Chris Mine expansion would extend the lifespan of the mine by over a decade and increase Canada’s annual copper production by over 15 per cent. It’s expected to employ about 800 workers during operations, with a peak of approximately 1,500 workers during construction.
Premier David Eby said he’s proud that two out of the five projects listed on the priority project list are in British Columbia.
He said during an event Thursday the projects are among the more than $40 billion dollars in private sector projects in British Columbia that he’ll be promoting when he visits Ottawa next week.
“We can do more, we can do it faster, and we can do it the right way,” said Eby.
He was speaking at an unrelated event at the Highland Valley Copper Mine, about 50 kilometres southwest of Kamloops, marking the start of construction on that mine’s life extension project.
Red Chris Mine is part of the proposed Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor. This corridor is being moved to the MPO for consideration, as it presents opportunities for critical minerals development, clean power transmission, Indigenous project leadership, and a potential new conservation area the size of Greece.
The mine is part of the proposed Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor, which the MPO is also considering. Ottawa said it presents opportunities for critical minerals development, clean power transmission, Indigenous project leadership, and a potential new conservation area the size of Greece.
Premier David Eby said there are 11 potential new mines in the region, representing almost $30-billion in private sector investment.
Other projects on the list include the Darlington Nuclear Project in Bowmanville, Ontario, the Contrecœur Terminal Container Project in Québec, and the McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine Project in east-central Saskatchewan.
The LNG Canada project has been divisive, with Indigenous leaders and environmental advocates opposing the expansion project.
“Mark Carney’s push to double LNG Canada as a “nation-building” project ignores the right of Indigenous peoples to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and asks taxpayers to underwrite a project with no clear business case,” said the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) said in a statement Thursday.
They note the partners in LNG Canada – Shell, Petronas, PetroChina, Mitsubishi Corporation and Korea Gas – haven’t made an official financing decision on Phase 2 of the project.
Ottawa has said emissions are projected to be 35 per cent lower than the world’s best-performing LNG facilities and 60 per cent lower than the global average.
“LNG Canada is not only a massive source of greenhouse gas emissions but also drives destructive fracking, further threatening our lands, waters, and communities- emissions do not recognize territorial boundaries,” said UBCIC President Grand Chief Stewart Phillip.
Earlier this week, a group of doctors, nurses and First Nations leaders held press conferences in Vancouver and Smithers to raise alarms about the health impacts of the LNG industry.
“We have a growing body of peer-reviewed health research that indicates living near LNG infrastructure, including fracking and flaring sites, puts people at higher risk for pulmonary disease, asthma, heart attack, pre-term birth, and certain cancers and affect the health and longevity of older residents in the area,” said Dr. Ulrike Meyer, a Dawson Creek family physician and volunteer with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, in a statement.
A new oil and gas pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast is a notable omission from the MPO’s initial list of projects – something Premier Danielle Smith has been pushing for.
Smith told reporters in Edmonton Thursday she had an “encouraging” meeting with Carney this week. She said the first five projects on the list demonstrate a positive shift on the government’s focus on both conventional and new energy.
Smith said she’s hopeful that some of Alberta’s major projects will make the list on the next tranche of projects expected in November.
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