OTTAWA - Members of Parliament are set to debate a Conservative motion today that declares support for an oil pipeline to British Columbia's coast. The motion says MPs support construction of a pipeline to carry Alberta bitumen to the coast, along with an "appropriate amendment" to legislation banning most oil tankers off the northern B.C. coast. Prime Minister Mark Carney signed a memorandum of understanding last month with the Alberta government that sets out an agreement to work toward [Read more]

OTTAWA - A federal union says hundreds of workers have been warned they may lose their jobs as the government moves to shrink the size of the public service. The Public Service Alliance of Canada says 219 people at Natural Resources Canada received notices this week saying their jobs might be cut.  Another 109 people at the Public Service Commission of Canada, 92 people at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and 74 staffers at the Department of Finance received similar [Read more]

CALGARY - A group representing oil and gas drillers says it's expecting a slight uptick in activity next year in Canada. The Canadian Association of Energy Contractors says it's expecting 5,709 wells to be drilled next year, up about three per cent from this year. It's expecting roughly the same percentage increase in drilling rig operating days and service rig operating hours. The CAOEC represents 89 land drilling, offshore drilling and service rig companies operating across [Read more]

CALGARY - Analysts at CIBC Capital Markets say they don't expect the private sector to take the lead on a new West Coast oilsands pipeline so long as the British Columbia government and First Nations are opposed. They write in a report that companies would have to rely on meeting the ill-defined constitutional duty to consult with Indigenous groups and untested new federal legislation aimed at speeding along infrastructure projects deemed in the national interest. The Alberta government is [Read more]

CALGARY - Pipeline operator Trans Mountain Corp. says it earned a profit in its latest quarter compared with a loss a year ago as its utilization rate and revenue rose compared with last year. The Crown-owned pipeline company says it earned $127 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a loss of $68 million a year ago. The result came as revenue for the quarter totalled $765 million, up from $666 million. Trans Mountain says it saw record throughput for the quarter at [Read more]

CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA - Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday to grow Alberta's oil exports while also committing to making it a world leader in green energy technology. Here are five takeaways from the memorandum of understanding: Big-Ticket Infrastructure: Both sides agree to work on approving a bitumen pipeline of one million barrels or more per day from Alberta to Asian markets via a port on the B.C. coast. The [Read more]

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to unveil an agreement with Alberta Thursday which could clear the way for a new oil pipeline in exchange for stronger environmental regulations, while also walking back some of Ottawa's climate policies. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said her government has been negotiating with Ottawa a "grand bargain" which would see the proposed Pathways Alliance carbon-capture project move forward alongside a proposed oil pipeline to the West [Read more]

CALGARY - An oil and gas service industry group predicts lacklustre prices for those resources will weigh on spending and activity next year, but the prospect of new export infrastructure gives reason for optimism ahead. Enserva says in its annual State of the Industry report that total oil and gas capital spending is expected to drop by 5.6 per cent this year versus last, and by a further 2.2 per cent in 2026. Total wells drilled this year are on track to be nine per cent lower than a [Read more]