Canadian Energy Centre
Coastal GasLink completion key to unlocking Canadian natural gas for the world

Construction underway on the Coastal GasLink pipeline, which will transport natural gas from northeast BC to the LNG Canada terminal in Kitimat. Photograph courtesy of Coastal GasLink
From the Canadian Energy Centre
By Cody CionaOnce the pipeline is in service, 17 of the twenty First Nations along the pipeline route have signed an agreement for the option to buy a 10 per cent stake
Canada’s natural gas industry has made a major step forward in efforts to export much needed supply to energy-hungry markets in Asia.
The key is the completion of the Coastal GasLink pipeline at the end of 2023.
The project, nearly 12 years in the making, is Canada’s only natural gas export pipeline to the west coast.
It will deliver supply to the port of Kitimat, about 1,400 kilometres northwest of Vancouver. There it will be supercooled and turned into the lowest carbon liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the world and shipped across to global customers from the export facility. That facility is expected to begin operations next year.
It is estimated that the two projects could reduce between 60 to 90 million tonnes of global emissions per year by replacing coal-fired power in Asia
“Coastal GasLink reached mechanical completion in early November 2023 ahead of schedule and is ready to deliver natural gas to LNG Canada’s facility, which will depend on their own commissioning process,” said Natasha Westover, manager of external relations for TC Energy
“Which means, sustainably produced LNG could be shipped to global markets by 2025, via this world-class, safety-leading pipeline.”
The project continues momentum for economic reconciliation with Indigenous communities, with Coastal GasLink set to become one of Canada’s largest infrastructure projects with Indigenous ownership.
Once the pipeline is in service, 17 of the twenty First Nations along the pipeline route have signed an agreement for the option to buy a 10 per cent stake.
“The opportunity was made available to all 20 Indigenous communities holding existing agreements with Coastal GasLink and is an important step on the path to true partnership through equity ownership in the project,” Westover said.
The ownership stakes are in addition to numerous agreements and contracts reached with Indigenous communities along Coastal GasLink’s path. In all, the project spent $1.8 billion with Indigenous and local businesses.
According to TC Energy, the project created more than 25,700 full-time equivalent jobs and took 55 million hours to complete. The project generated $3.2 billion to B.C.’s GDP, some $331 million in tax revenue, and $3.95 billion in spending with B.C. businesses and suppliers.
As well, during construction, Coastal GasLink and TC Energy spent over $13 million in community investments and sponsorships to support local and Indigenous community initiatives.
Once operating, it is estimated that over $26 million in annual tax revenue will be generated for communities along the pipeline’s path. Even with construction coming to an end, local communities will continue to see economic spinoffs. More than $42 million is expected to be generated each year through local economic activity.
“These accomplishments mark the end of the project’s five-year construction phase, during which time our workers, contractors, Indigenous and local communities collaborated to complete Canada’s first pipeline to the west coast in 70 years,” Westover said.
Work will now continue on environmental reclamation and preparing communities and workers for the start of operations.
“Coastal GasLink looks forward to continuing to be a part of the local community as we prepare for safe operations for decades to come,” Westover said.
Canadian Energy Centre
Saskatchewan Indigenous leaders urging need for access to natural gas

Piapot First Nation near Regina, Saskatchewan. Photo courtesy Piapot First Nation/Facebook
From the Canadian Energy Centre
By Cody Ciona and Deborah Jaremko
“Come to my nation and see how my people are living, and the struggles that they have day to day out here because of the high cost of energy, of electric heat and propane.”
Indigenous communities across Canada need access to natural gas to reduce energy poverty, says a new report by Energy for a Secure Future (ESF).
It’s a serious issue that needs to be addressed, say Indigenous community and business leaders in Saskatchewan.
“We’re here today to implore upon the federal government that we need the installation of natural gas and access to natural gas so that we can have safe and reliable service,” said Guy Lonechild, CEO of the Regina-based First Nations Power Authority, on a March 11 ESF webinar.
Last year, 20 Saskatchewan communities moved a resolution at the Assembly of First Nations’ annual general assembly calling on the federal government to “immediately enhance” First Nations financial supports for “more desirable energy security measures such as natural gas for home heating.”
“We’ve been calling it heat poverty because that’s what it really is…our families are finding that they have to either choose between buying groceries or heating their home,” Chief Christine Longjohn of Sturgeon Lake First Nation said in the ESF report.
“We should be able to live comfortably within our homes. We want to be just like every other homeowner that has that choice to be able to use natural gas.”
At least 333 First Nations communities across Canada are not connected to natural gas utilities, according to the Canada Energy Regulator (CER).
ESF says that while there are many federal programs that help cover the upfront costs of accessing electricity, primarily from renewable sources, there are no comparable ones to support natural gas access.
“Most Canadian and Indigenous communities support actions to address climate change. However, the policy priority of reducing fossil fuel use has had unintended consequences,” the ESF report said.
“Recent funding support has been directed not at improving reliability or affordability of the energy, but rather at sustainability.”
Natural gas costs less than half — or even a quarter — of electricity prices in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, according to CER data.
“Natural gas is something NRCan [Natural Resources Canada] will not fund. It’s not considered a renewable for them,” said Chief Mark Fox of the Piapot First Nation, located about 50 kilometres northeast of Regina.
“Come to my nation and see how my people are living, and the struggles that they have day to day out here because of the high cost of energy, of electric heat and propane.”
According to ESF, some Indigenous communities compare the challenge of natural gas access to the multiyear effort to raise awareness and, ultimately funding, to address poor water quality and access on reserve.
“Natural gas is the new water,” Lonechild said.
Alberta
The beauty of economic corridors: Inside Alberta’s work to link products with new markets

From the Canadian Energy Centre
Q&A with Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transport and Economic Corridors
CEC: How have recent developments impacted Alberta’s ability to expand trade routes and access new markets for energy and natural resources?
Dreeshen: With the U.S. trade dispute going on right now, it’s great to see that other provinces and the federal government are taking an interest in our east, west and northern trade routes, something that we in Alberta have been advocating for a long time.
We signed agreements with Saskatchewan and Manitoba to have an economic corridor to stretch across the prairies, as well as a recent agreement with the Northwest Territories to go north. With the leadership of Premier Danielle Smith, she’s been working on a BC, prairie and three northern territories economic corridor agreement with pretty much the entire western and northern block of Canada.
There has been a tremendous amount of work trying to get Alberta products to market and to make sure we can build big projects in Canada again.
CEC: Which infrastructure projects, whether pipeline, rail or port expansions, do you see as the most viable for improving Alberta’s global market access?
Dreeshen: We look at everything. Obviously, pipelines are the safest way to transport oil and gas, but also rail is part of the mix of getting over four million barrels per day to markets around the world.
The beauty of economic corridors is that it’s a swath of land that can have any type of utility in it, whether it be a roadway, railway, pipeline or a utility line. When you have all the environmental permits that are approved in a timely manner, and you have that designated swath of land, it politically de-risks any type of project.
CEC: A key focus of your ministry has been expanding trade corridors, including an agreement with Saskatchewan and Manitoba to explore access to Hudson’s Bay. Is there any interest from industry in developing this corridor further?
Dreeshen: There’s been lots of talk [about] Hudson Bay, a trade corridor with rail and port access. We’ve seen some improvements to go to Churchill, but also an interest in the Nelson River.
We’re starting to see more confidence in the private sector and industry wanting to build these projects. It’s great that governments can get together and work on a common goal to build things here in Canada.
CEC: What is your vision for Alberta’s future as a leader in global trade, and how do economic corridors fit into that strategy?
Dreeshen: Premier Smith has talked about C-69 being repealed by the federal government [and] the reversal of the West Coast tanker ban, which targets Alberta energy going west out of the Pacific.
There’s a lot of work that needs to be done on the federal side. Alberta has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to economic corridors.
We’ve asked the federal government if they could develop an economic corridor agency. We want to make sure that the federal government can come to the table, work with provinces [and] work with First Nations across this country to make sure that we can see these projects being built again here in Canada.
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