Sourced from 2 independent sources (3 reports) · no points in disputeHow we sourced thisEnergyNow and Owen Sound Sun Times
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10 key facts · 6 corroborated · none disputed
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EnergyNow and inSauga — the same Canadian Press report, counted once.
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Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is leaving the door open to a major west-to-east oil pipeline pitched by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, saying the idea could strengthen Canada and put Manitobans to work.
Speaking to reporters at a premiers’ meeting in Charlottetown, Kinew said he is willing to consider the proposal, but only if it is built properly.
Kinew signals cautious openness
“I love Alberta, I love Albertans, so I’m willing to entertain the idea,” Kinew said.
The proposal, announced in early July by Smith and Ford, would run 3,300 kilometres from Hardisty, Alberta, to refineries in Sarnia, Ontario, passing through Manitoba. The line is intended to carry at least 500,000 barrels of crude oil a day.
For Kinew, the potential appeal is both national and local.
“If it’s going to make Canada stronger, great, but of course we want to see things done in the right way,” he said.
He also pointed to the possibility of work for people in Manitoba.
“I’m open to it,” Kinew told reporters. “Having spent a few days in Portage la Prairie, Man. last week, I can tell you, there’s probably a lot of people who would like to work on a pipeline.”
Conditions for Manitoba support
Kinew’s openness came with clear conditions. He said any pipeline would have to address Indigenous, labour and environmental concerns before Manitoba could get behind it.
“We want Indigenous governments onside. We want workers taken care of. We want the environmental concerns all looked after,” he said.
That framing puts Manitoba in a pivotal position. The proposed route would pass through the province, meaning any serious push for the project would have to contend with the standards Kinew laid out in Charlottetown.
Kinew’s comments did not amount to a blank cheque for the proposal. Instead, he presented the pipeline as an idea worth discussing if it can meet the test of being built “the right way.”
A long route to Sarnia
The proposed line would connect Hardisty, a major Alberta oil hub, to refineries in Sarnia, one of Ontario’s key refining centres. Smith and Ford have described the pipeline as a west-to-east project that would move Canadian crude across the country without relying on a U.S. route.
EnergyNow reported that no private company has stepped forward to build or operate the pipeline, and that Ford has said he is open to government paying for it.
That leaves one of the biggest questions, who would finance and run the project, still unanswered.
EnergyNow also reported that Ontario’s government is expected to release an estimated cost and timeline after completing a feasibility study before the end of the year.
Churchill connection raised
The proposal could also have a northern Manitoba dimension.
According to EnergyNow, Ford has said the project could include an offshoot connecting to the Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba.
Kinew responded to that idea with a dose of political realism.
“Everyone’s throwing each other bones,” he said.
Still, he framed the broader moment as one of opportunity.
“I think it’s an exciting time to be a Canadian, lots of economic development on the horizon,” Kinew said.
Wider corridor ambitions
The pipeline is part of a broader set of ideas being discussed by Smith and Ford.
The Owen Sound Sun Times reported that the Northern Shield Energy Corridor proposal also includes an east-to-west corridor to ship critical minerals from Ontario to the Prairies and British Columbia.
For now, Kinew’s position is careful but significant. Manitoba is not rejecting the pipeline pitch. It is saying the conversation can begin, provided Indigenous governments, workers and environmental concerns are treated as central to the project rather than afterthoughts.
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