Call to Action!
Email feedback to: WCOPComment-CommentaireOCO@mpo-bgp.gc.ca before Sept 18th to comment on the proposed listing the West Coast Oil Pipeline as a federal ‘Major Project’.
Read more about it here.
What are the major projects and why does this matter?
In May 2026, the federal government proposed major changes to environmental assessment law aimed at speeding up nation-building infrastructure projects, including Projects of National Interest (PONIs), provincial cooperation agreements that offload environmental review (especially concerning in provinces like Alberta), and legislative changes that would compress assessment timelines to under a year, shift review responsibility away from environmental experts, and pre-approve projects in designated economic zones. IBioS hosted two experts in July, Mae and Alex, who warned that these changes would weaken federal oversight, complicate Indigenous consultation obligations under Section 35, and risk locking in projects before impacts are understood.
In July, IBios invited two experts, Mae Price and Alex Barron, to share their knowledge on what’s happening with the Canadian Major Projects and how to get involved in influencing government actions. Read about the event here.
Read the notes taken from the event here.
News
-
Proposed Oil Pipeline as Major Project – Comment Before Sep 18th!
On August 1st, the federal government proposed listing the West Coast Oil Pipeline as a federal ‘Major Project’. If the…
-
Canadian Major Projects threats to biodiversity: A policy training, discussion and strategy workshop
July 10, 2026 | 10AM – 12PMREAD THE NOTES FROM THE EVENT to gain a better understanding of what’s happening in the federal government, how it’s…
Further information
The government proposal on major projects – May 2026
CSEE response to major projects proposal – May 2026
How the jeopardy clause endangers species at risk act – Raincoast Conservation Foundation
IBioS Major Projects Zoom with Mae Price and Alex Barron Notes (What’s happening and how to get involved) – July 2026
Canada is greenlighting extinction and calling it progress – National Observer
Decisions on major projects often ignore cultural and social losses – Policy Options (written by Terre Satterfield and colleagues)
Fast tracking major projects puts our environment at risk – National Observer (written by Sally Otto and colleague)
If you have any information regarding the major projects you’d like to share on this site, please don’t hesitate to email us at info@ibios.ubc.ca