Ontario Construction News staff writer
The federal government is considering two Arctic infrastructure projects and a proposed nuclear waste repository in northwestern Ontario for designation as projects of national interest under the Building Canada Act.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Federal ministers said they are initiating the process that could lead to designation of the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the Grays Bay Road and Port project, and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s Deep Geological Repository.
The Mackenzie Valley and Grays Bay projects were referred to the Major Projects Office in March. The nuclear waste repository was referred on Wednesday. While referrals do not guarantee approval, projects are placed within the federal process for potential expedited review.
If approved, they could become the first to receive national interest designation under the legislation, which was passed last year as part of Bill C-5.
The Building Canada Act allows cabinet to designate certain large infrastructure projects and coordinate federal approvals and regulatory steps, with the stated aim of reducing approval timelines from several years to roughly two.
Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said the process will involve consultation and regulatory review.
“This is about building Canada strong for all,” he said at a news conference in Yellowknife. “We will build, in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, respecting rights and treaties. We will build by maintaining world-class environmental standards so we can do things right the first time, and we will build by making clear to the world that Canada is willing and able to move major projects from possibility to reality.”
The Grays Bay Road and Port project involves building a 230-kilometre all-season road from the Nunavut border to Grays Bay on the Arctic Ocean, where a deepwater port and airstrip are also planned. The project is led by West Kitikmeot Resources Corporation, whose major shareholder is the Kitikmeot Inuit Association.
Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said the federal government has provided funding to advance early planning for the project.
The Mackenzie Valley Highway is a proposed 800-kilometre all-season gravel road from Wrigley to the Dempster Highway south of Inuvik. It would connect several communities currently accessible primarily by air, water or winter roads. Officials said the route would reduce travel distance between Yellowknife and Inuvik by about 1,200 kilometres.
The Deep Geological Repository would be an underground facility near Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation in northwestern Ontario designed to store used nuclear fuel. The project is being developed by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, a not-for-profit created by Canada’s nuclear electricity producers.
The federal government said the project is part of its broader approach to long-term nuclear waste management and energy planning.
Ontario Energy Minister Stephen Lecce said the province supports the repository as part of its nuclear energy system and supply chain development.
With Wednesday’s announcement, 16 projects and seven broader strategies have been referred to the Major Projects Office. Federal officials have estimated the combined value of these initiatives at more than $138 billion.
Projects sent to the office are evaluated against criteria including economic benefit, likelihood of completion, Indigenous participation and environmental considerations before any recommendation is made to cabinet.