Alberta to Reveal Details of Proposed Million-Barrel-a-Day Pipeline to West Coast

Shraddha Tripathy

6/30/20262 min read

The Alberta government says it will release details Thursday about a proposed oil pipeline to the West Coast that could carry one million barrels per day.

The province had been given a July 1 deadline to submit a proposal to the federal Major Projects Office, but the announcement is being pushed back one day because of the Canada Day holiday.

Sam Blackett, press secretary for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, said the province now plans to unveil the details on July 2.

Alberta had previously indicated through a publicly viewable website that the announcement would come Tuesday.

B.C. Opposition Expected

Any such pipeline proposal is likely to face major opposition in British Columbia.

B.C. Premier David Eby has already criticized the agreement reached between Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney, saying it was made without B.C.’s buy-in.

The exact route of the proposed pipeline has not yet been released. However, documents obtained by Peazzi show at least three proposals would send the pipeline to B.C.’s North Coast.

That region is already covered by an oil tanker moratorium, which was put in place after the long-running fight over the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline.

North Coast Residents Ready to Push Back

Des Nobels, a longtime North Coast fisherman based in Dodge Cove near Prince Rupert, was among those who opposed the Northern Gateway proposal.

He said he is prepared to fight another pipeline plan if it targets the same region.

“We had hoped ... we would not see these sorts of incursions again,” Nobels said. “But here we are, not all that long afterwards redoing what we have previously done.”

Other groups, including the Haisla and Nisga’a First Nations, have also said they do not see a path forward for an oil pipeline to the North Coast.

Political Shifts Complicate Debate

There have been some signs of growing support in parts of B.C. for major energy projects, including the election of a Conservative MP in Skeena-Bulkley Valley during the most recent federal election.

The riding includes the North Coast, northwest inland communities and Haida Gwaii.

But Nobels said that result should not be interpreted as support for an oil pipeline.

He said many people in the region have deep ties to the land and coast, and value the area beyond its economic potential.

“The people that live in this part of the world are people of place, and they value this place beyond money,” Nobels said.

He said the coast has supported generations of people and will continue to do so if it is protected.

Route Details Still Unknown

The pipeline route remains one of the biggest unanswered questions ahead of Alberta’s announcement.

If the proposal points toward B.C.’s North Coast, it would likely revive many of the same environmental, legal, political and Indigenous rights debates that surrounded previous pipeline proposals.

For now, Alberta says the project details will be made public Thursday.

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