Build quick: Alberta to Ontario pipeline, under-5-year timeline promoted by premiers
Posted Sep 29, 2026 9:20 am.
During a visit to Calgary, Ontario Premier Doug Ford promoted his belief a pipeline built from Alberta could be in place within less than five years.
And to support his case, Ford harkened back to major efforts by Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald.
“(If he), I think it was (during) 1860, could build a railroad from one end of our country to the other in four-and-a-half years, why can’t we build a pipeline even quicker with the technology we have?”
Ford is making the pitch for Northern Shield, a proposed 3,300-kilometre oil pipeline from Hardisty, Alberta to Sarnia, Ontario.
The Ontario premier says his government is willing to put up capital for the project, but didn’t answer questions about how much money he’s considering for the project.
“We’re not paying for this pipeline; we’re putting (in) a small investment. But a very simple theory, anytime you can get a (return on investment), and you can clip coupons, I’m in all day for the people of Ontario, if we can see a great ROI.”
Ford shared a stage during an industry luncheon Sept 28. with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who agreed a timeline of “four-and-a-half years should absolutely be possible,” but unlike Ford, his Alberta counterpart didn’t speak of adding government capital to the project.
“I’d like to see us get to the point where I’ve seen what the feasibility is and the cost associated with it is,” Smith said, adding, “we want to get to a point where we can build again without everything needing a government partner.”
Meanwhile, former CEO of the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission Richard Masson says the timeline and private-sector financial backing of the project is a pipe dream at this point.
“It would have to be funded by government because the private-sector is not going to pay for a duplicate pipeline on its own. It would have to be the Ontario government signing up as the shipper for the $30 billion cost as the back-up system in case trade tensions escalate.”
