Ottawa has designated the proposed Pacific Link oil pipeline as its first project of national interest under the Building Canada Act, BNN/CTV reported October 1. The proposed route runs roughly 1,200 kilometres from Bruderheim, Alberta, to Delta, British Columbia.
The designation advances the project through an accelerated process; it does not mean the pipeline is built. Conditions are targeted for September 2027, with operation envisaged in 2032 or 2033. Those dates remain plans.
According to the report, governments would initially fund about $4 billion in preparatory work and intend to recover the costs from shippers. No private company had offered to finance the entire project.
Business groups welcomed the prospect of broader export access. The NDP and environmental organizations opposed the decision, while lawyer Merle Alexander, representing affected First Nations, raised concerns about consultation and the proposed 10% Indigenous ownership share. Those positions leave substantial questions over financing, environmental conditions and community participation as the review proceeds.
