Alberta to dole out details on West Coast pipeline after Canada Day
Posted June 30, 2026 9:07 am.
Last Updated June 30, 2026 9:16 am.
The Alberta government is expected to announce details on a new pipeline for the West Coast after Canada Day, the premier’s office confirmed.
Premier Danielle Smith’s press secretary, Sam Blackett, confirmed to CityNews that an announcement will be made the day after the holiday, but didn’t disclose any further details.
“We will have a major announcement on July 2 to share new details about the Government of Alberta’s submission to the Major Projects Office for a new one-million-barrel-per-day oil pipeline to Canada’s West Coast,” he said in an emailed statement.
This comes as a memorandum of understanding (MOU) focused on a pipeline being developed on the West Coast in B.C., signed by Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney in late 2025.
This was furthered by an agreement in May, which declared a pipeline would be built in early 2027.
It also said it would relax carbon pricing rates, allowing industries more leeway in how much they’re allowed to emit. The agreement included a commitment from Carney to declare the pipeline as being in the national interest by October of this year.
The line has to be privately financed and Indigenous co-owned. If the line gets approval, Ottawa would adjust existing tanker ban rules on B.C.’s coast to allow for exports to Asia from a deepwater port.
However, there reportedly hasn’t been much interest, including from Calgary’s Enbridge Inc., with the president signalling a lack of interest on an investor’s call recently.
The proposal also includes a commitment to a pipeline route. Choices include B.C.’s northwest coast, where there’s a federal tanker ban in place and consultation required with Indigenous groups, and south along the existing Trans Mountain pipeline route, ending in Burnaby, B.C., close to Vancouver.
Both plans would require considerable consultation with Indigenous groups, along with potential changes to the tanker ban, and it’s expected they would take an ownership position in a new pipeline.
The news also comes as the deadline for a project proposal is Wednesday, a delay from the original one set for April 1.
