Author: Brian Zinchuk

EVs

Baiting The Left Climate Cult 17 Comments

Michael Zwaagstra: Time to scrap the federal EV mandate

I have known Michael Zwaagstra for 33 years. He is one of my closest friends and more importantly among the smartest men I know. He has been writing advanced policy pieces in the education sphere since 1997. He is a senior fellow with not one but two policy think tanks, the Frontier Centre for Public Policy and the Fraser Institute. His first book, What’s Wrong With Our Schools and How Can We Fix Them, is a blueprint for fixing our messed up school system. Indeed, when Bronwyn Eyre was Saskatchewan Minister of Education, she had worked on trying to address those very issues using Zwaagstra’s book for guidance.

Living on borrowed time, Ring of Fire and a pipeline to where??

Climate Cult Drill, Baby, Drill 8 Comments

Coal Revival: From living on borrowed time to once again having a future: United Mine Workers of America Local 7606. This is a powerful story about coal, Estevan, Saskatchewan, SaskPower and Westmoreland.

Pipeline Online Podcast Ep. 13: Greg Rickford, Ontario Minister for the Ring of Fire. Are we Can’tada?

Danielle Smith and Doug Ford gave a press conference just before Bronwyn and I went online with Monday’s podcast, conveniently with the Ontario minister responsible for the Ring of Fire. Something came out of Ford that REALLY caught my eye.

He was talking about a deepwater port on James Bay. That’s the dangly part of Hudson Bay that happens to be really close, relatively speaking, to Ring of Fire.

No details have come out yet, but we have to remember this – there is no road, no railroad, no pipeline, NOTHING to James Bay. That area of northern Ontario might as well be the moon, which is why it has been so hard to get a GRAVEL road built to the Ring of Fire. I was shocked, yes, gravel. A multi billion dollar development to rival Fort McMurray and you’re going to have a gravel road???? And they talked about possibly a pipeline to said port, which will be conjured up from thin air. (Maybe they should build a paved road, first?)

What does this mean for Saskatchewan? Now there are potentially three ports in play on Hudson/James Bay? As I wrote last week, without a fleet of icebreakers at over $3 billion a pop, any port on Hudson Bay is a fool’s errand, at least for shipping oil.

But it seems Ontario is now serious about a new oil pipeline, entirely in Canada, to replace Enbridge Line 5.

And Premier Moe spoke a while back about any pipeline through Saskatchewan being automatically approved. Not sure what he meant by that, but is that why he didn’t need to take part in this press conference, since he was present at Stampede?

I didn’t have time to dig into all of this, but maybe I’ll do a column on it later this week. Here’s the Canadian Press stories about it.

Premiers Danielle Smith and Doug Ford agree to study new energy corridors, more trade

Ontario Premier Doug Ford pitches railway to Ring of Fire, Alberta is on board – Note, this is the first major rail project I’ve heard about, well, since I was born. Is this why the Sask NDP talk about rail projects, using EVRAZ steel?

Alberta to hold nuclear power consultations as reactor companies weigh opportunities

That column about Hudson Bay I referred to: Brian Zinchuk: Let’s get serious about shipping oil from Hudson Bay

I updated it with an animation of sea ice from last year to show how serious of an issue it is. https://pipeline-online-v1750862700.websitepro-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Hudson-Bay-Ice-Gif.gif

“We are over the top happy”

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Boundary Dam Power Station

 

Coal Revival: RM of Estevan Reeve Jason LeBlanc gave a speech in the snow on Parliament hill in support of coal, now it has been saved.

Coal Revival: Revisiting Jason LeBlanc’s 2019 speech on Parliament Hill in support of coal and against the carbon tax

Coal Revival: RM of Estevan lauds practical and common-sense decision

I should note that Jason LeBlanc is VERY well known in the Saskatchewan farming community from his many years as an auctioneer. In 2019 when former Sask NDP Leader Ryan Meili disparaged LeBlanc for that very speech from the relative safety of in the legislature, registrations for the protest truck convoy heading to Regina in the next few days doubled overnight. The phone rang off the hook. Over 800 trucks showed up a few days later for that rally.

Aerial photos taken by Kevin Cooke from Dennis Mainil’s airplane, flying over the convoy from Weyburn to Regina.

You can watch the video of Mieli in question period here. Go to time index 2:03:00. The Hansard written record of the debate can be found here on Page 5646.

 

LNG Canada goes online and how that impacts Saskatchewan

Drill, Baby, Drill 3 Comments
First ship leaving LNG Canada. LNG Canada photo

LNG Canada ships first cargo, making Canada a global player.

I provide some analysis on how this will impact Saskatchewan in the first part of the story.

Also:

Poilievre posts “Meet Hardisty” video about and its importance to Canada

Donald Trump’s disdain for wind energy could create windfall for Nova Scotia: experts

Energy Realities Podcast: Geopolitical issues and oil. Some interesting discussion about Carney killing the digital services tax to placate Trump, forgoing this thing called “rule of law.”

First good sleep in years

Drill, Baby, Drill 5 Comments

Coal Revival: “I’m going to stay,” one coal worker told IBEW

Coal Revival: “I’m going to stay,” one coal worker told IBEW. This is one union that is over the moon with the right wing government that just saved their industry and jobs.

More formal letter of support from IBEW:

Coal Revival: IBEW says coal announcement will ‘have a meaningful impact on the lives of our members and their families’

Part 5 of Upgrader series:

Regina Refinery at 90 and Devine’s Upgraders, Part 5: Were the Regina and Lloydminster upgraders worth it? The two upgraders’ massive impact on provincial revenue

Pick up your jaws…

Drill, Baby, Drill 18 Comments

Coal Revival: United Mine Workers say federal mandate to phase out coal-fired electricity posed existential threats to entire communities

Here’s a union supporting a right-wing government’s move to rebuild its coal fleet. It has everything to do with the left wing wants their industry to disappear, and the SaskParty is moving to keep it going for decades to come. Interesting, that. As in the musical Hamilton – The World Turned Upside Down.

“Saskatchewan’s leadership in asserting provincial jurisdiction over its energy future deserves recognition. While the federal mandate to phase out coal-fired electricity by 2030 posed existential threats to entire communities, this new direction offers hope and continuity.”

I’ll have a more in-depth interview with the union in coming days, as well as a similar story from the other union involved, and a similar tale.

Also, in my series on the upgraders:

Regina Refinery at 90 and Devine’s Upgraders Part 3: The Lloydminster Bi-Provincial Upgrader doubled the city in size

 

Regina Refinery at 90 and Devine’s Upgraders

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BY BRIAN ZINCHUK 

In late June, Federated Co-operatives Limited will be celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Regina Refinery Complex. In September, 2022, Pipeline Online published a six-part series on the two Grant Devine-era heavy oil upgraders, and their lasting impact. One of those upgraders is an integral part of the Regina Refinery Complex, and thus, is a major part of the history of that refinery. To commemorate this momentous anniversary, Pipeline Online is republishing this series.

Regina Refinery at 90 and Devine’s Upgraders, Part 1: The two heavy oil upgraders built by the Grant Devine government had a tough opening act, but became anchors for Saskatchewan’s current economy

Also:

Saskatchewan premier says he can ‘get behind’ Ottawa’s energy superpower vision

Trump leaves G7 summit early amid escalations in Middle East

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