Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit Edmonton this Canada Day as Alberta faces a deadline for its West Coast pipeline pitch.
Alberta and Ottawa signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last November that laid out a possible pathway toward a new pipeline, and committed Alberta to submitting an application to the federal Major Projects Office by July 1.
Premier Danielle Smith is expected to announce details Thursday of Alberta’s application for a new pipeline to carry oil to the British Columbia coast.
Carney said Tuesday he has been in “close contact” with Smith and he was “very up to speed” on the proposal.
The federal government said it aims to decide by Oct. 1 whether to designate the pipeline as a project of national interest, allowing for a fast-tracked approval process.
The government said that, if conditions are met, including consultation obligations with First Nations, construction of a pipeline could be approved by Sept. 1, 2027.
B.C. Premier David Eby is set to ink his own MOU with Ottawa on support for major projects.
He said he would cut short his planned trade mission to China so he could return to finalize the agreement with Ottawa in early July.
“This is going to be an agreement between us and the federal government to make sure that B.C. gets our fair on projects that are in the national interest,” said Eby on Saturday before jetting off for Shanghai and Beijing.
Eby said earlier last week that discussions with the federal government are focused on major infrastructure projects, including the George Massey Tunnel replacement and the North Coast Transmission Line.
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