Carney launches Major Projects Office in Calgary

Key Takeaways:

• The federal government has launched a new Major Projects Office (MPO), headquartered in Calgary, to streamline approvals and accelerate construction of large-scale infrastructure projects such as ports, railways, and clean energy initiatives.
• The MPO aims to cut project approval timelines to two years or less, using a “one project, one review” approach in partnership with provinces, territories, and Indigenous communities.
• Dawn Farrell, former Trans Mountain and TransAlta CEO, has been appointed to lead the office, which will also establish an Indigenous Advisory Council and expand financing tools, including the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program.

The Whole Story:

Prime Minister Mark Carney has unveiled a new federal agency aimed at cutting red tape and accelerating the development of major infrastructure projects across Canada.

The Major Projects Office, headquartered in Calgary with satellite offices planned for other cities, will act as a single point of contact for companies and governments pursuing large-scale projects such as ports, railways, energy corridors, critical mineral developments and clean energy initiatives.

Carney said the office will streamline environmental and regulatory reviews, with the goal of reducing approval timelines for nationally significant projects to no more than two years. Ottawa also plans to work with provinces and territories to implement a “one project, one review” approach for environmental assessments.

The office will also help structure and co-ordinate financing, drawing on private investment, provincial and territorial partners, and existing federal tools such as the Canada Infrastructure Bank, the Canada Growth Fund and the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program.

Dawn Farrell, former head of Trans Mountain Corporation and TransAlta, has been appointed the office’s first chief executive officer. Farrell, who brings four decades of energy sector experience, is expected to play a central role in advancing projects and navigating regulatory processes.

An Indigenous Advisory Council, with members from First Nations, Inuit, Métis and modern treaty partners, will be established next month to guide the office’s work. The federal government has also committed $40 million over two years to help Indigenous communities engage in the review process, and has expanded the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program to $10 billion.

Carney said the initiative builds on the Building Canada Act, passed in June, which created a framework for accelerating projects deemed in the national interest.

“For too long, projects have been stalled by arduous approval processes, leaving enormous investments on the table,” Carney said in Ottawa. “We are moving at a speed not seen in generations to build ports, railways, energy grids – the projects that will unlock Canada’s full economic potential.”

The government said the first slate of projects to be advanced under the new system will be announced in the coming weeks.