Pipelines in Canada


Pipelines in Canada are important components of energy infrastructure in Canada as the majority of natural gas and oil deposits are located in landlocked Alberta and need to be transported to ports or terminals to access larger markets.

Professional associations

The Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, whose 2019 members included Alliance Pipeline, ATCO Pipelines, Enbridge, Inter Pipeline, Pembina Pipeline, Plains All American Pipeline known also as Plains Midstream Canada, TC Energy, TransGas's TransGas Pipelines, Trans Mountain pipeline, Trans Northern Pipelines, and Calgary-based Calgary-based Wolf Midstream Inc.'s pipeline, was formed in 1993. CEPA members transporting most of the natural gas and crude oil from Canada to other North American markets.
Since 2015, Chris Bloomer, a geoscientist, who had formerly served in executive positions at Shell Canada, Connacher Oil and Gas, and Petrobank Energy and Resources, replaced Brenda Kenny, who served as president and CEO since 2008. Since 2015, CEPA, has provided an interactive map of its members' pipelines in Canada, including those under construction or newly completed, such as the Trans Mountain pipeline, and TC Energy's Keystone Pipeline expansion—Keystone XL—and its Coastal GasLink Pipeline Project.
According to their 2020 performance report, some of the issues upon which they focus include environmental issues including the impact of climate change, pipeline integrity, and emergency responses, relationships with First Nations communities, regulatory policy, as well as health and safety.
In a September 30, 2020 Calgary Herald article, with the oil and gas industry experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic economic slump, CEPA CEO Bloomer was cited as stressing that Canada needs to "tout" its environmental, social and governance performance in order to "attract new investment, expand oil and natural gas production, and get pipelines built".

Regulation and ownership

Regulation

The Canadian federal government regulates around 10% of pipelines through the Canadian Energy Regulator. The Regulator has precedence over provincial regulation when pipelines cross provincial or international boundaries.
Provincially each provinces has its own regulator listed below:
ProvinceMinistryRegulator
AlbertaMinistry of Energy (Alberta)Alberta Energy Regulator
OntarioMinistry of Energy (Ontario)Ontario Energy Board
British ColumbiaMinistry of Energy (British Columbia)British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission
SaskatchewanMinistry of Energy (Saskatchewan)Ministry of Energy
ManitobaDirectly supervised by Manitoba LegislatureManitoba Public Utilities Board
New BrunswickMinistry of Natural Resources (New Brunswick)New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board
QuebecMultipleRégie de l’énergie du Québec
Régie du bâtiment du Québec
Ministère de la Sécurité publique
Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques
Ministère de la Justice
Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs
Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec
Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail
Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Québec
Sûreté du Québec
Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement
Info Excavation
Newfoundland and LabradorN/ANone
Prince Edward IslandN/ANone
Nova ScotiaMinistry of Finance (Nova Scotia)Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board

Operating pipelines

OwnerNameSubstanceTerminalTerminalMap
Enbridge, PembinaAlliance PipelineNatural gas
EmeraBrunswick PipelineNatural gasSaint John, New BrunswickWoodland, Maine
TC EnergyGas Transmission NorthwestNatural gasKingsgate, British ColumbiaMalin, Oregon
TC EnergyGreat Lakes TransmissionNatural gas
TC Energy, Dominion Resources, KeySpan Corporation, New Jersey Resources Corporation, Energy East CorporationIroquois PipelineNatural gas
Enbridge, Emera, ExxonMobilMaritimes & Northeast PipelineNatural gasGoldboro, Nova ScotiaDracut, Massachusetts
TC Energy, ONEOK PartnersNorthern Border PipelineNatural gas
Williams CompaniesNorthwest PipelineNatural gas
TC EnergyTransCanada pipelineNatural gas
EmeraBrunswick PipelineNatural gasSaint John, New BrunswickWoodland, Maine
SaskEnergyTransGas pipelineNatural gas
Enbridge, DTE Energy CompanyVector PipelineNatural gas
Portland Pipe Line Corporation
Montreal Pipe Line Limited
Montreal—Portland pipelineOilSouth Portland, MaineMontreal, Quebec
EnbridgeCanadian Mainline OilEdmonton, AlbertaGretna, Manitoba
EnbridgeUS Mainline OilGretna, ManitobaSarnia, Ontario and Flagan, Illinois
EnbridgeLine 13 Oil
EnbridgeLine 72 Oil
Trans Mountain Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Canada Development Investment CorporationTrans Mountain pipelineOil and refined petroleum liquidsEdmonton, AlbertaBurnaby, British Columbia
TC EnergyCoastal GasLink PipelineNatural gasDawson Creek, British ColumbiaKitimat, British Columbia