Category Archives: Energy

Energy

Pipeline north or south? Risks follow either BC route

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

Another pipeline along the existing Trans Mountain corridor may be the most realistic route from Alberta to tidewater, but many agree the environmental risks still follow the oil.

The federal government is currently considering various pipeline routes from Alberta — to the Lower Mainland of BC near Vancouver, or a northern line to the port of Prince Rupert. The move comes as Ottawa and Alberta build on an MOU signed in November 2025 to potentially ship another million barrels daily to Asia. 

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Energy, Politics

Taxpayer Dollars, the pipeline, and Canada’s Clean Energy Future

Three weeks ago the Toronto Star reported that “three Liberals privately suggested to the Star that Prime Minister Mark Carney may put federal money behind a new pipeline to the west coast … Sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, say Carney wants to see the pipeline built, and is realizing it may not happen without more public money behind it.”

Aaron Gunn, the Conservative MP for North Island-Powell River, emailed that he is not interested in discussing rumours. While he recently acknowledged the climate is changing, Gunn also stated Canadians have more important issues to deal with. The pipeline was one of them: 

“I will say this pipeline should have been built ten years ago. Instead, the world remains beholden to oil from brutal, dictatorial regimes like Russia and Iran, while Canadian oil sells at a discount to the United States.” 

Jennifer Lash’s response to the Toronto Star article was, “Ottawa is nothing if not a fish bowl of rumours.”

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Energy

Malfunctioning Canadian LNG terminal burned more gas than estimated 2024 global record

By Matt Simmons, The Narwhal, Local Journalism Initiative reporter, Wil Crisp

This investigation is a collaboration between The Narwhal and Point Source, a U.K.-based investigative journalism organization.

An LNG facility in Western Canada burned more gas in 2025 than any other liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility on record in 2024, raising concerns about Canada’s claim it’s producing the cleanest LNG in the world. 

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Energy

BC comes under fire after cutting fees on LNG, pipeline projects

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

BC’s energy regulator is weakening oversight at a time when it should be making it stronger, according to environmentalists, Indigenous leaders and public‑health experts in the province.

The BC Energy Regulator (BCER), a Crown corporation funded largely by the companies it oversees, recently lowered levies for LNG Canada, Woodfibre LNG and the Coastal GasLink pipeline. The fees are collected “to meet [BCER’s] regulatory obligations and recover expenses,” the regulator says on its website.

LNG Canada’s annual levy fell from $900,000 to $600,000, Woodfibre’s from $2.5 million to $1.4 million and Coastal GasLink’s per‑kilometre charge dropped from $1,700 to $420.

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Energy, Politics

In the Midst of a Global Energy Transition: Canada’s New Pipeline

Someone sent me a Facebook post in which North Island-Powell River MP Aaron Gunn points to a Petro Canada sign advertising gas for $2.09.9 a litre. 

Gunn wrote, “Ridiculous. 4th-largest oil reserves on the planet. $2.09 per litre at the pumps. It’s time to build pipelines, refineries and an energy policy that puts Canada, and Canadians, first!” 

My first response, when I calmed down enough to have a polite response, was ‘does he think a fully operational pipeline is going to drop out of the sky?’ 

So far, no proponents have stepped forward to build the proposed pipeline. Premier Danielle Smith of Alberta recently said there are some Middle Eastern and Asian investors who expressed interest in a minority stake. IF a proponent steps forward and clears all the necessary preliminary steps, it is still going to take years before oil flows through the proposed pipeline. 

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