Tag Archives: Enbridge

A ‘foot in the door’: BC First Nations buy into Enbridge pipeline

By Sonal Gupta, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

For decades, a natural gas pipeline has cut through the territories of dozens of First Nations in BC — moving billions of dollars’ worth of gas with zero ownership and little return to the communities.

Now, 36 First Nations have bought in.

“For decades, the nations have watched resources leave their communities with very minimal benefit,” said Justin Napoleon, from Saulteau First Nation and director of Stonlasec8, a newly formed, Indigenous-owned, limited partnership made up of 36 First Nations in BC, including Treaty 8 members. 

In a landmark deal announced today, Stonlasec8 revealed its plan to invest approximately $715 million to acquire a 12.5 per cent ownership in Enbridge Inc.’s Westcoast natural gas pipeline system that stretches from BC’s remote northeast to the US-Canada border.

Continue reading A ‘foot in the door’: BC First Nations buy into Enbridge pipeline

U.S. tariffs or not, Canada needs to build new oil and gas pipeline space fast

Expansion work underway takes on greater importance amid trade dispute

By Grady Semmens, Originally published on the Canada Energy Centre

Last April, as the frozen landscape began its spring thaw, a 23-kilometre stretch of newly built pipeline started moving natural gas across northwest Alberta.

There was no fanfare when this small extension of TC Energy’s Nova Gas Transmission Limited (NGTL) system went online – adding room for more gas than all the homes in Calgary use every day.

It’s part of the ongoing expansion of the NGTL system, which connects natural gas from British Columbia and Alberta to the vast TC Energy network. In fact, one in every 10 molecules of natural gas moved across North America touches NGTL.

With new uncertainty emerging from Canada’s biggest oil and gas customer – the United States – there is a rallying cry to get new major pipelines built to reach across Canada and to wider markets.

Continue reading U.S. tariffs or not, Canada needs to build new oil and gas pipeline space fast

A Peek Into Big Oil’s Playbook with Environmental Defence

Environmental Defence just released a report showing that last year oil and gas company lobbyists were targeting the Conservative Party, in preference to the Canadian Government, by more than a 2 to 1 ratio. Cortes Currents interviewed Emilia Belliveau, lead author of ‘Big Oil’s Playbook, A Summary of Big Oil’s 2024 Federal Lobbying’ and asked Max Thaysen, from the Cortes Island Climate Action Network for his insights.  

Emilia Belliveau:  “Environmental Defence is a charity, so we are nonpartisan. What I can do is simply relay the facts, which are that the Bloc Québécois and the Green Party did not take any lobbyist meetings. The NDP took a very small number, four. Then you have most of the lobby meetings targeting the Federal Liberals and the Federal Conservatives. The Federal Liberals had 62 meetings with ministers and 29 meetings with backbencher MPs, and Conservative MPs took 216  lobby meetings.”

Continue reading A Peek Into Big Oil’s Playbook with Environmental Defence

Canada’s top CEOs make 210 times more than the average worker

Natasha Bulowski, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Canada’s 100 richest CEOs made 210 times more than the average worker in 2023, a new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) reveals.

Continue reading Canada’s top CEOs make 210 times more than the average worker

FOCI: Continuity & Change

The Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) has a new President, is getting prepared to launch out in new directions and is also trying to raise $30,000 by the end of the month. The first two of those announcements may be interrelated, the third definitely is not. It is a result of two large contracts coming to an end, more on that later. First, Mike Moore has been one of FOCI’s members for decades and is now taking on a more active leadership role.

Continue reading FOCI: Continuity & Change