Minister Dabrusin joins provincial and territorial environment ministers to strengthen collaboration on environmental protection

“We are building across the economy, driving clean and renewable power, mass electrification, and energy efficiency. When we work closely with our partners, including provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners to pair strong environmental standards and clean innovation, we can advance solutions that grow the economy, strengthen our communities, and protect the environment for future generations.”
– The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature

Winnipeg recommends awarding $815M contract for next phase of North End WWTP

Winnipeg’s Public Service is recommending that council approve an $815.5-million contract to Red River Biosolids Partners to construct new biosolids facilities at the North End Water Pollution Control Centre (NEWPCC) after a nearly two-year collaborative design process that city officials say identified significant cost-saving engineering changes without sacrificing performance.

The recommendation would move the project from design into construction following the project’s progressive design-build process. If approved by council, construction would begin on facilities expected to start treating biosolids in October 2030 and reach substantial completion by March 17, 2031.

The Biosolids Facilities project is one of three major capital projects comprising the modernization of the North End plant, which treats about 70% of Winnipeg’s wastewater and all sludge generated at the city’s three wastewater treatment plants. The upgrades are intended to replace aging infrastructure, increase treatment capacity to accommodate population growth and bring the facility into compliance with provincial environmental regulations.

The new facilities will receive sludge from Winnipeg’s wastewater treatment plants and process it into reusable biosolids.

Red River Biosolids Partners was selected as the project’s development partner in July 2024 after council approved the progressive design-build (PDB) delivery model the previous year. Since September 2024, the consortium has worked with the city’s project team to finalize the design, construction schedule and pricing before negotiating the design-build agreement now before council.

The PDB model divides the project into three phases, allowing the owner and contractor to work together during the design stage before proceeding to construction. According to city officials, that collaborative approach identified several opportunities to reduce costs while maintaining the project’s performance and regulatory requirements.

Among the changes were replacing the originally proposed thermal hydrolysis process with thermophilic digestion, consolidating several smaller buildings into larger structures, constructing taller buildings instead of excavating basements, and using steel rather than concrete for portions of the structural framework.

“With biosolids, we found many saving opportunities through adapting the design,” said Lana Obach, major capital project engineer with the City of Winnipeg. “What is notable about these savings is that they were not the result of cutting corners. Instead, it was about making smart design and engineering choices.”

City officials compared the switch from thermal hydrolysis to thermophilic digestion to using “a slow cooker instead of a pressure cooker,” describing it as a simpler treatment approach that delivers the required outcomes while lowering construction costs.

The contract will be funded through the city’s approved capital budgets for the Biosolids Facilities and Nutrient Removal Facilities projects.

The biosolids project is the second of three major phases in the overall NEWPCC modernization program. Construction of the first phase — a new headworks and power supply facility — began in 2021 and is expected to be completed later this summer.

The third and largest phase, the Nutrient Removal Facilities project, carries an estimated cost of approximately $1.5 billion. That project remains in procurement, with three teams shortlisted to compete for the contract. Construction is expected to begin in 2028. This project will treat the liquid part of wastewater before it enters the river.

Together, the three projects represent one of the largest infrastructure investments in Winnipeg’s history.

The city also expects the biosolids project to generate significant economic benefits. An economic impact analysis estimates the project will contribute approximately $620.8 million to Manitoba’s gross domestic product and support 3,770 person-years of employment, while generating additional economic activity across Canada.

The project will also be the first city construction project to implement Winnipeg’s 2022 social procurement directive, which aims to increase participation by Indigenous peoples and other under-represented groups in the construction workforce. The design-build agreement includes minimum participation requirements and stretch targets for skilled trades, apprentices, semi-skilled workers and general labour.

City officials said the procurement process complied with purchasing policies and applicable trade agreements and represents the next stage of an established competitive procurement process rather than a sole-source contract award.

The Ball is in our Court: Building the trillion-dollar clean energy industry

Summer is here and I’m back into tennis, representing my club across the city and playing for fun into the night. When the lights come on to support our love of the game, I do not take the energy for granted.

Canadians are among the largest energy consumers in the world, due to our vast geography, cold climate, and large industrial sector. However, we are also one of the biggest producers of energy, backed by our abundant natural resources and stellar infrastructure industry.

Our true north, strong and free, is now undertaking an unprecedented industrial shift, backed by a monumental $1-trillion National Electricity Strategy. Aiming to double the nation’s grid capacity by 2050 to deliver emissions-free power, this transition represents a massive opportunity to modernize our economy, create green-collar jobs, and capture billions in international renewable energy investment.

Serving up an ace for acceleration

Historically, pipeline politics and fossil fuel exports have dominated our national dialogue. Today, however, the real fight for economic sovereignty is happening on the global clean energy stage. With over 80 per cent of Canada’s electricity already drawn from emissions-free sources like hydroelectricity, nuclear, wind and solar, we are not starting from scratch—we are accelerating from a position of profound, built-in strength and innovation.

The $1-trillion buildout is not merely an environmental goal; it is an economic survival imperative. As global trade policies shift and international demand for sustainable power skyrockets, Canada must secure its position as the premier energy supplier of the 21st century.

Alberta orders cleanup plan for former Enerkem biofuels facility amid contamination concerns

Alberta Environment and Protected Areas has issued an enforcement order requiring remediation work at the former Enerkem Alberta Biofuels facility in northeast Edmonton, citing concerns over hazardous materials, contaminated soil and groundwater, and the condition of the shuttered plant.

The June 2026 order alleges that the facility’s operator failed to safely decommission the site and adequately monitor ongoing environmental risks following the plant’s closure in 2024.

Located on City of Edmonton-owned property, the facility was designed to convert residential waste into ethanol and other biofuels. The project, once touted as a flagship waste-to-energy initiative, struggled with operational and financial challenges before entering insolvency protection. By the time it ceased operations, the plant had produced approximately five million litres of biofuel — well below the 36 million litres annually projected by Quebec-based Enerkem.

According to the provincial order, significant environmental concerns remain at the $80-million facility. Consultants have identified toxic chemicals stored in tanks, abandoned industrial waste containers and improperly managed contaminants that could potentially escape containment systems.

Recent assessments also found soil and groundwater contamination exceeding provincial guidelines. Identified contaminants include methanol, a toxic and highly flammable solvent, as well as petroleum hydrocarbons associated with the site’s operations.

The enforcement order outlines a series of compliance issues identified over the past year. On September 25, 2025, City of Edmonton officials reported concerns under Alberta’s Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act regarding liquids that could be released outside approved containment areas. At the time, Enerkem Alberta Biofuels LP had entered receivership and was not undertaking remediation work related to the city’s concerns.

The order notes that by October 2025, no liquids had been removed from the site and no chemical analysis had been completed to determine their composition.

Further investigations conducted in December 2025 identified 18 “Areas of Potential Environmental Concern” across the facility. Contaminants of potential concern included salinity, metals, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, petroleum hydrocarbons, alcohols, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, glycols, phosphates, ammonia, cyanide, sulphur compounds and asbestos-containing materials.

The province has directed the parties responsible for managing the facility to continue remediation efforts and prepare a detailed report outlining cleanup activities and environmental mitigation measures. The report must be submitted to Alberta Environment and Protected Areas by December 18, 2026.

B.C., Simpcw sign consent agreement for proposed Yellowhead copper mine

The Province and Simpcw First Nation have entered into a consent-based decision-making agreement for the environmental assessment and review of the Yellowhead Copper Project, proposed by Trekor Metals Limited, in Simpcwul’ecw (Simpcw Territory).

The agreement was signed by Simpcw Ku̓kwpi7 (Chief) George Lampreau; Tamara Davidson, Minister of Environment and Parks; Spencer Chandra Herbert, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation; and Jagrup Brar, Minister of Mining and Critical Minerals.

“The Province and Simpcw First Nation together are building a strong and lasting relationship to protect our environment and benefit all people in British Columbia,” Davidson said. “By approaching environmental assessments of major projects collaboratively, we can create a sustainable path forward that protects the environment, respects First Nations rights and creates investment certainty for today and for our future generations.”

The agreement provides clarity for the review of the proposed Yellowhead Copper mine, aligning the two governments’ individual assessment processes, with an efficient, timely, collaborative and consent-based approach.

“This marks the first time Simpcw has applied our consent process to a major project, and it is an important milestone for our Nation,” Lampreau said. “We worked closely with our community to develop this process, ensuring it reflects our values, our laws and our vision for how decisions should be made in Simpcwul’ecw. Community members will be involved every step of the way, shaping the process and fostering a genuine sense of ownership in both the process and the outcome. This agreement advances the exercise of Simpcw’s governance and decision-making responsibilities, while strengthening our relationships with the Province and project proponents. This agreement is not just about one project — it is about establishing how decisions on new mining projects will be made in our territory going forward, in a way that respects Simpcw’s governance, our people and our responsibilities to future generations.”

Simpcw and the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) will collaboratively carry out their assessment processes to inform their separate decisions on the proposed Yellowhead mine, including the Province’s decision on an environmental assessment certificate, and Simpcw’s decision on whether to provide its consent for the project to proceed.

“This agreement shows that by working together, and guided by the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, we can create greater certainty for major projects, while recognizing First Nations rights and helping to build a stronger province for everyone,” Chandra Herbert said.

The agreement under the Declaration Act recognizes Simpcw rights and responsibilities as stewards of the land, and strengthens the government-to-government relationship between Simpcw and B.C. It provides a strong collaborative framework for aligning environmental assessments and may be amended for potential future mining projects in Simpcw territory where Simpcw is the Indigenous governing body most directly affected by the project, and a provincial environmental assessment is required.

“The approval of this agreement for Yellowhead Copper mine is another example of B.C.’s Look West Strategy, bringing strong economic growth through working together in a respectful, transparent, government-to-government decision-making process,” Brar said. “This collaboration shows how we can work together to build trust and unleash shared prosperity.”

The Yellowhead project entered Simpcw’s assessment process in May 2024. B.C.’s environmental assessment process began in July 2025.

“Since 2024, Trekor has been advancing the Yellowhead project through the Simpcw process, an Indigenous-led, consent-based decision-making model, and in 2025 initiated the B.C. environmental assessment process,” said Stuart McDonald, president and CEO, Trekor. “We believe the agreement announced today can contribute to a more co-ordinated, efficient and transparent assessment process that benefits the Yellowhead project and all people in British Columbia.”

The EAO has engaged with potentially affected First Nations regarding this agreement and its environmental assessment, including Adams Lake Indian Band, Neskonlith Indian Band, Skwlāx te Secwepemcúĺecw (formerly Little Shuswap), Stswēceḿc Xgāt’tem (formerly Canoe Creek/Dog Creek), Tsq̓ éscen̓ First Nation (Canim Lake) and Whispering Pines/Clinton Indian Band. The EAO will continue to work collaboratively with all potentially affected First Nations throughout the environmental assessment process. In accordance with Secwepemc protocols, Simpcw will continue to work collaboratively with those Secwepemc “campfires” with interests in the project.

Simpcw First Nation and the Province also engaged industry organizations and local governments about the agreement negotiations, including Trekor, Thompson-Nicola Regional District, Cariboo Regional District, District of Clearwater, District of Barriere, Mining Association of British Columbia, and Association for Mineral Exploration.