Prime Minister Mark Carney has unveiled the first five projects to be referred to Canada’s Major Projects Office (MPO) for approval under the federal government’s new infrastructure fast-tracking program.

Carney announced the projects during a news conference in Edmonton and in a statement.

The MPO was launched under new legislation designed to streamline assessments, cut approval timelines to two years or less, and fast-track nation-building developments in partnership with provinces, territories, Indigenous peoples and private investors.

The five projects include:

• LNG Canada Phase 2 in Kitimat, B.C., which would double production capacity and make the facility the second-largest LNG plant in the world. The project is expected to draw major private investment, expand trade opportunities, and deliver emissions reductions of up to 60% below the global average.
• Darlington New Nuclear Project in Bowmanville, Ont., which will see Canada build the G7’s first small modular reactor. The development is projected to supply clean power to 300,000 homes, sustain thousands of jobs, and strengthen Ontario’s $500-million nuclear supply chain.
• Contrecœur Terminal Container Project in Québec, which will expand the Port of Montréal’s capacity by 60%, bolstering Eastern Canada’s supply chains, supporting thousands of jobs, and generating roughly $140 million annually in economic benefits. The Montreal Port Authority has awarded a DP World-La Caisse joint-venture a long-term contract to design, build and operate the terminal.
• McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine in Saskatchewan, a critical-minerals project developed in collaboration with the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. It will provide copper and zinc for clean energy and advanced manufacturing, create 400 jobs, and become Canada’s first net-zero copper mine.
• Red Chris Mine expansion in northwestern B.C., which will extend the mine’s life by more than a decade, increase national copper output by 15%, employ up to 1,500 workers during construction, and cut emissions by more than 70%. The project is being advanced with the Tahltan Nation as part of broader regional development plans.

Carney also noted other projects that his government believes are “truly transformative for this country,” suggesting that he will ask the MPO at a later date to fast-track them as well. They include the Port of Churchill expansion in northern Manitoba and the Alto high-speed rail line between Toronto and Quebec city.

Carney said the MPO will work to accelerate Alto’s engineering, regulatory, and permitting work to enable construction to start in four years instead of eight.

The federal government has committed to invest $3.9 billion in Alto.

Pictured: Tanker at LNG Canada dock in Kitimat, B.C. with first cargo bound for Asia.

Photo: LNG Canada