Got a great idea for a large-scale infrastructure project in Canada’s national interest? It may be worth sending Energy Minister Tim Hodgson your pitch, because he’s shopping.
What happened: Hodgson promised that “at least five to 10” new projects would be added to the federal government’s Major Projects list and reach the final investment decision stage by this time next year.
Hodgson flagged improving the electrical grid and expanding nuclear energy as top priorities for the government, and pledged to advance the pipeline from Alberta to B.C. as part of the Canada-Alberta memorandum of understanding agreed upon with Premier Danielle Smith.
Catch up: So far, 15 projects have been referred to the Major Projects Office, which was set up last year to speed up approvals for infrastructure projects deemed to be in the national interest.
Nearly all of those have already been in the works for years, and — with a few exceptions — aren’t expected to be completed until at least the 2030s.
Why it matters: The federal government has staked much of its economic strategy on advancing major projects, and the boom in jobs, investment, and exports that’s expected to create. To realize those benefits, though, they’ll need to not only add new projects, but start breaking ground on more of the ones they’ve already undertaken.—TS
