Enbridge BREAKS GROUND in 6 Weeks — And 36 First Nations Just Bought a $715 Million Stake

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]Good evening. I am James Carter and this is Canada Current. Enbridge just got the green light on a four billion dollar natural gas pipeline in British Columbia. Shovels hit the ground in six weeks and for the first time in Canadian history, indigenous communities own a piece of the infrastructure running through their territory, not as a gift, not as a settlement, but as a 715 million commercial investment. Two stories, one announcement, and both of them matter more than most Canadians realize. Here is why. On April 24th, the federal government approved the NBridge Sunrise Expansion Program, a $4 billion expansion of the West Coast natural gas pipeline system in British Columbia. The project adds 300 million cubic feet per day of new gas transportation capacity through a 139 km stretch of new pipe and upgraded compression facilities.

[00:00:52]Construction starts in July 2026. The pipeline comes into service in late 2028. And the CEO who just weeks ago called the West Coast Oil Pipeline a page flip, Greg Eel of Enbridge called this project shovel ready, critical infrastructure and a direct advance of Canada's energy superpower ambitions.

[00:01:12]But the bigger story is the one buried in the announcement. The Stonek 8 Indigenous Alliance representing 36 First Nations in British Columbia has acquired a 12.5% ownership stake in Enbridge's entire West Coast pipeline system. A system that stretches 1,82 miles from northeast British Columbia to the Canada US border. A system with a capacity of 3.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, valued at the acquisition price of $715 million Canadian, financed through a brand new federal loan guarantee program designed specifically to make this kind of deal possible. 36 First Nations, $715 million, real ownership, not consultation fees, not impact benefit agreements, equity. This is what the future of Canadian Energy Infrastructure looks like. And this is the model that every major pipeline project coming behind it, LNG Canada phase 2, the West Coast Oil Pipeline, Trans Mountain's long-term structure, will be measured against. 90% of people watching this video are not subscribed. If you want to understand what NBridgeg's $4 billion approval and indigenous co-ownership deal means for Canada's gas supply, your heating bill, and the pipeline model that changes everything. Hit subscribe, ring the bell, and share this with someone who needs to see it. Now, let's continue. Let me explain what the West Coast pipeline system actually is, because this is the infrastructure that sits at the heart of today's story.

[00:02:44]Picture northeastern British Columbia, the Peace River region, one of the richest natural gas producing areas in the world. Gas wells that have been feeding Canadian homes and US pipelines for more than 60 years. The West Coast pipeline is the main artery that carries that gas south and west. It runs 1,82 miles, nearly 2,900 kilometers from the gas fields near Fort St. John, British Columbia, all the way to the Canada US border near the Lower Mainland. From there, it connects into the Pacific gas transmission system that feeds homes and businesses across the Pacific Northwest of the United States. 3.6 billion cubic feet per day. That is the current capacity of the West Coast system. To put that in human terms, 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas heats approximately 10,000 Canadian homes for a year. The West Coast system carries enough gas to heat roughly 36 million homes annually.

[00:03:38]It is not a pipeline. It is the backbone of natural gas delivery to British Columbia, Washington State, Oregon, and California. The Sunrise expansion adds 300 million cubic feet per day to that backbone. It does this through new pipeline loops, sections of parallel pipe installed alongside the existing route and upgraded electric driven compression at select stations. The electric compressors are a detail worth noting. Enbridge is powering the compression with electricity rather than burning natural gas on site. that reduces the carbon footprint of the pipeline's own operation, which matters both for federal regulatory approval and for the project's long-term social license in BC. Now, let me explain the indigenous ownership deal because this is the part of the story that has the biggest long-term implications, not just for this pipeline, but for every pipeline project in Canada's future. The Stonek 8 Indigenous Alliance is a partnership representing 36 First Nations across British Columbia. These are nations whose traditional territories the West Coast pipeline runs through. For 65 years, that pipeline has been moving natural gas across their land. For 65 years, the economic benefit of that infrastructure flowed to shareholders in Calgary and Houston, not to the communities whose territory made it possible. That changes with this deal. Stonek paid $715 million Canadian for a 12.5% stake in the West Coast system. That is not a token amount. That is a real commercial transaction at real market value. And critically, $715 million is not money these communities had sitting in a bank account. It was financed through the Canadian Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program, a federal program announced by the Trudeau government and continued under Carney that provides governmentbacked loan guarantees to indigenous groups seeking to purchase equity stakes in energy infrastructure. The mechanics of a loan guarantee are worth understanding. The federal government does not give the Stonek Alliance $715 million. It guarantees the loan that Stonek takes out to buy the stake. That means Stonk 8 borrows $715 million from commercial lenders, banks, institutional investors at rates they could not have accessed without the federal backs stop. The government guarantee reduces the interest rate, makes the financing viable, and allows the communities to make a commercial investment rather than a charitable grant. The return on that investment is the distributions paid by the West Coast pipeline to its owners proportional to their 12.5% stake. The West Coast system generates stable regulated cash flows from the gas shippers who pay tolls to use it. Those cash flows have historically supported consistent dividend payments to Enbridge and its partners. With a 12.5% stake, Stonlesk 8 receives 12.5% of those distributions. real money annually flowing to 36 First Nations communities in British Columbia. This is the model that breaks the historical pattern of Canadian resource development in indigenous territory. The old model was build the pipeline, conduct consultation, pay impact benefits and leave. The new model is build the pipeline, conduct consultation, and give the communities a seat at the ownership table. So when the pipeline makes money, they make money. Greg Ael said at the April 24 announcement that Enbridge has now struck four equity deals with indigenous groups as part of its indigenous reconciliation program launched in 2022. He said Enbridge has directed approximately $52 million Canadian toward procurement from indigenous owned businesses in the Sunrise project alone with further commitments to hire from local communities during construction.

[00:07:16]Economic projections suggest the Sunrise project will contribute more than $3 billion Canadian to the Canadian economy and create approximately $2,500 jobs during the construction period. Now, let me connect all of this to the bigger picture because Sunrise does not exist in isolation. The West Coast expansion feeds directly into the case for LG Canada phase 2. LG Canada's Kamat facility needs natural gas, enormous quantities of it, to produce the liqufied natural gas it ships to Asia.

[00:07:47]Shell and its partners are moving toward a final investment decision on phase 2 by end of 2026. Phase 2 would double Kitamat's export capacity to 28 to 30 million tons per year. That requires more gas supply, more pipeline capacity, and more BC transmission infrastructure.

[00:08:05]Sunrise adds 300 million cubic feet per day to the BC gas transmission network.

[00:08:10]The Aspen Point program, a separate Nbridge expansion on the northern section of the West Coast system, adds up to 535 million cubic feet per day and is already under construction, targeted for service in late 2026.

[00:08:25]Together, these two expansions add more than 800 million cubic feet per day of new BC gas capacity in service before LG Canada phase 2 reaches full production.

[00:08:36]That is not a coincidence. It is the infrastructure buildout that makes LG Canada phase 2 commercially viable. And then there is the West Coast Oil Pipeline. When Carney and Smith signed the implementation agreement on May 15, they committed to a worldclass indigenous co-owned pipeline. The Stone Lac 8 deal with Enbridge is the template for what that looks like. Real equity, real financing, real distributions. If the West Coast Oil Pipeline proceeds with Enbridge now publicly saying it would definitely consider being the builder, the Stone LEC 8 model is the ownership structure it will be built around. This is why the Sunrise announcement is more than a $4 billion infrastructure story. It is the proof of concept for the entire future of Canadian energy development in BC. The pipeline that takes natural gas from the Peace region to BC homes and US markets is now partly owned by the First Nations whose land it crosses. The model works.

[00:09:30]The financing exists. The federal program is operational. Every pipeline that comes after this one, LNG Canada phase 2, the West Coast Oil Pipeline, Trans Mountains Indigenous Partnership Structure will be built on this foundation. Here's the financial picture for Canadian investors. NBridg's west coast system is a regulated asset generating stable long-term cash flows.

[00:09:52]The Sunrise expansion adds capacity and therefore toll revenue to that system.

[00:09:57]It is an accretive investment. It increases the distributable cash flow per unit that supports NBridg's dividend. Enbridge has raised its dividend for 31 consecutive years.

[00:10:08]Adding $4 billion in approved construction ready infrastructure to its secured backlog strengthens the earnings trajectory that sustains that record.

[00:10:17]The indigenous loan guarantee program by enabling stonek to take a 12.5% stake also reduces enbridge's equity requirement for future projects. If indigenous communities own pieces of the infrastructure, they become co-investors, co-owners, and co-advocates for the pipeline's commercial success. That changes the regulatory and social license calculus for every project that follows. For your RRSP, your TFSA, your pension fund, every incremental piece of approved construction ready infrastructure that Enbridge adds to its portfolio improves the long-term cash flow that supports the dividend you depend on. Shovels go in the ground in 6 weeks. Indigenous communities own a piece of the pipe. And the model that makes the West Coast Oil Pipeline possible just proved it works.

[00:11:03]Here's the bottom line. Enbridge got a $4 billion federal approval in April.

[00:11:08]Construction starts July 2026. The gas comes online in late 2028. And for the first time in the 65- year history of this pipeline, the 36 First Nations whose territory it crosses are not bystanders. They are owners. $715 million of ownership financed through a new federal loan guarantee program that Canada built specifically to make this possible. This is what Canada's energy superpower future looks like. Not just more pipe, more ownership, more partnership, more of the revenue staying in Canada and in the communities that Canada's pipelines have crossed for generations. I am James Carter. This is Canada Current. Subscribe if you are not already and I will see you in the next