By Paul Vieira

Canada and the province of Alberta say they have come to an agreement in principle on accelerated approvals for major projects in the province.

In a joint statement, the two levels of government said the tentative pact would introduce a so-called one-project, one-review approach to regulatory approval, in which federal authorities formally recognize assessments done by the province -- thereby skipping the need for a separate federal review. Companies have complained in the past about the multiple layers of regulatory approval required to get resource projects off the ground in Canada.

"This agreement is a meaningful next step toward faster, more efficient project reviews, and includes the removal of federal oversight of projects that are squarely within the province's jurisdiction to approve," Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said.

Both Ottawa and Alberta said there would be a 21-day period consultation period.

Details of the tentative deal emerge one day after a major energy producer, Canadian Natural Resources, said it was hitting pause on a $6 billion project in northern Alberta that would increase crude-oil production by 150,000 barrels a day. The company said it would defer project spending "due to the lack of finalization of government regulatory policies" as they pertain to carbon pricing among industrial producers.

The Canada-Alberta tentative deal on regulatory approvals follows a broader pact that Prime Minister Mark Carney and Smith signed in November, which laid out conditions under which the Liberal government might approve a new pipeline connecting the Alberta oilsands to a port in northern British Columbia. Under the pact, Canada agreed to suspend some environmental rules as they apply to Alberta should the province fulfill certain commitments, among them a tougher industrial carbon-pricing system.

Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 06, 2026 15:47 ET (20:47 GMT)

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