Pressure Systems edition
Carney's Extraction Agenda Accelerates
November 8, 2026
What this edition shows
Mark Carney’s government is stitching together an extraction corridor from Alberta coal and oil fields through Roberts Bank and LNG Canada to European buyers, even as it drops the 2030 thermal-coal export ban and lets a major mine expansion proceed without environmental assessment. The Montreal summit with Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa adds critical minerals, export banks, and associate EU membership to that corridor, while pension funds and Blackstone finance the LNG stake. The costs are displaced onto contested ground: Neskantaga’s Ring of Fire holdout, Innu and Anishinaabeg pushback on an Indigenous-led Quebec LNG plan, Roberts Bank seismic risk, and Alberta’s 'agriculture first' block on wind and solar.
Reporting and analysis behind this edition 25 sources
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Ottawa abandons thermal coal export ban as Alberta mines keep producing
Before Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government dropped its goal of stopping thermal coal exports by 2030, it allowed a massive expansion to Canada’s biggest thermal coal mine to advance without environmental assessment.
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Docs shed light on Alberta regulator’s decision to transfer more wells to struggling MAGA Energy
As part of a last-ditch effort to be profitable, MAGA Energy submitted out-of-date documents to secure a transfer of more oil and gas wells. The regulator approved the deal anyway
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Climate groups blast Canadian pension funds' 'indefensible' $4.3B investment in LNG Canada
Four major Canadian pension funds join US asset manager Blackstone in a deal to buy a large stake in a BC LNG project, angering environmental and shareholder advocates.
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Canada, EU launch 'alliance for the future' with critical minerals investment
The Montreal summit concludes with Canada on track to become first-ever “associate member” of the 27 nation bloc, as far-reaching trade and industry partnership moves toward formalization next June.
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Routing the Pacific Link pipeline through Roberts Bank poses an ‘unacceptable risk’
Decades of environmental assessments and contemporary earthquake hazard mapping warn of severe risks posed to the environment if oil is allowed to ship out of Roberts Bank, undermining government claims the site is well suited for development.
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EU urges ‘strategic supply chains’ in Canada alliance plan
Export and infrastructure banks will team with private investors to finance energy, supercomputing and critical-minerals projects across the Atlantic, says European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
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Carney, von der Leyen both want Canada as 'associate member' of the European Union
Prime Minister Mark Carney now says Canada is working to become an "associate member" of the European Union, after largely avoiding that term.
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Ontario's Ring of Fire: Opportunity for some, intrusion for others
With Indigenous voices divided, the Neskantaga First Nation is holding out against the controversial mine and associated road.
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Why Mark Carney is still betting big on Europe
When European Union officials Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa recently joined Mark Carney on the docks of Montréal’s Old Port for the Canada-EU Summit, Canada’s prime minister presented closer ties with the EU as a good deal for Canadian households. He argued a closer relationship promised mo…
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Canada’s oil and gas industry is using TikTok influencers to target Gen Z voters
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Will Mark Carney’s extraction agenda stir up an Idle No More revival?
Lawyer and professor Pam Palmater tells Desmond Cole that the prime minister could be stirring up a resurgence of Indigenous resistance The post Will Mark Carney’s extraction agenda stir up an Idle No More revival? appeared first on The Breach.
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The Deceptions That Crippled a Renewable Energy Industry
Alberta invokes ‘agriculture first’ to block wind and solar while putting gas plants on prime land.
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One of the largest Indigenous-led LNG projects in Canada faces pushback from other First Nations
Atikamekw Nation is at the helm of a proposal to ship Western Canadian gas to Europe through Quebec. It would require new LNG pipelines, and local Innu and Anishinaabeg nations aren’t convinced
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Blackstone-led group invests US$3.1B in Mitsubishi unit that holds LNG Canada stake
The investor group includes the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, the Investment Management Corp. of Ontario and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board.
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Politicians have floated building more oil refineries in Canada. Here’s what you need to know
Some politicians have been keen to decrease Canada’s reliance on U.S. refineries. But experts say that’s no silver bullet
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Satellites show some of the strongest evidence the AMOC is weakening
The crucial Atlantic current system that brings warmth to Europe has slowed 18 per cent in 40 years, according to an analysis of how much heat the ocean is releasing to the atmosphere
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How the Ford government’s new omnibus bill could affect Ontarians’ say in environmental decisions
The Ontario government’s proposed Bill 140 would create exemptions for public posting on the environmental registry and limit avenues for residents to raise concerns
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Canada’s EU deal opens doors, and these companies could cash in
New contracts and financing plans offer Canadian companies a bigger European market. The next test is turning the remaining promises into business deals.
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Mark Carney’s new budget prioritizes corporate profits above all else
The federal budget talks big about solving the cost-of-living crisis—but caters mostly to corporate priorities The post Mark Carney’s new budget prioritizes corporate profits above all else appeared first on The Breach.
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Canada-EU alliance: as a blueprint for a ‘middle-power bloc’ it has a lot of hurdles to overcome
The dream of a Canada-EU “middle-power bloc” has hit its first serious obstacle. At the Montreal summit, Brussels failed to deliver on the promise of associate membership for Canada, despite the enthusiastic backing of European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. Instead, the EU offered the…
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EU’s new Arctic strategy signals shift in its geopolitical mindset
Security is the dominant feature of the EU's new Arctic strategy. dotshock / Shutterstock The EU recently presented its latest Arctic strategy. It is the bloc’s fifth such strategy since 2008 and the first to be published since 2021, a few months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukr…
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How Canada has made Athabasca a sacrifice zone for resource extraction
I could hardly believe my eyes looking out the window of the small plane flying me from Fort McMurray to Fort Chipewyan in northern Alberta. The route parallels the Athabasca River running north above the boreal forest. But there is as much brown as green here; the land is covered in a patchwork of…
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The EU and Canada Struggle to Define Their Relationship
Von der Leyen downplays Ottawa’s associate member bid.
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Canada’s influencers aren’t that influential after all
After Kerry-Lynne Findlay decided to resign as leader of the BC Conservative Party, the influencer class that had backed her threw their support behind OneBC's Dallas Brodie. And yet, she couldn't even get five per cent of the vote in her own riding.
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European Union backtracks on Canada becoming ‘associate member’
Several European leaders reportedly pushed for the term to be removed from a joint draft Canada-EU statement.