Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has orchestrated a series of major announcements that signal a resurgence in the province's economic fortunes, including a new southern pipeline route, a feasibility study for an all-Canadian pipeline to Ontario, and a $13-billion Meta data centre and electricity-generation project in Sturgeon County.
Three Major Announcements in One Week
Over the past week, Smith stood with Prime Minister Mark Carney to announce a new southern pipeline route to Canada's Pacific coast. A few days later, she joined Ontario Premier Doug Ford to announce a feasibility study for a 3,300-km pipeline from Hardisty, Alberta, to Sarnia, Ontario—a pipeline that would be entirely Canadian-built and remain wholly within Canada. Finally, her government landed one of the largest private-sector investments in Canadian history with Meta's $13-billion data centre project just north of Edmonton.
“It was a good week,” Smith told reporters on Thursday, adding, “We’re trying to demonstrate that we are turning a page on those 10 bad years, and we hope that this is a new relationship we can build with Canada so that we can start building again.”
Overcoming Skepticism
These announcements are not without detractors. The West Coast pipeline will be funded by governments with private-sector partners, while the Ontario pipeline proposal is dismissed by some as unworkable. Additionally, a cottage industry on the political fringes opposes data centres. However, Smith has proven her ability to get things done.
After 10 years of the Trudeau government and with Carney—a former leading evangelist for net-zero policies—as prime minister, few believed Smith could move him to support pipelines. Yet Carney is now advancing a pipeline project, and a memorandum of understanding signed in November 2025 suspended the Clean Electricity Regulations, enabling the Meta project.
“The kind of announcements we made today would not have been possible without them,” Smith said. “That’s a sea change from where we were 18 months ago.”
Meta Investment a Major Win
Brett Wilson, investor and former Dragon's Den star, called the Meta announcement a major win. “What they’re doing up in Sturgeon County is unbelievable. A $13-plus-billion investment. The cash that’s going to come out of that for Alberta is extraordinary.” Unlike the West Coast pipeline announcement, no federal officials attended the Meta event, highlighting Alberta's independent deal-making. Smith expects the project to generate $250 million annually in government revenue.
Global Demand Driving Pipeline Revival
To pipeline detractors, Smith argued that global demand will ensure customers for the new pipelines. “With the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, the number of international Asian country leaders that I’m talking to, ambassadors, who say, ‘You know, if it can be closed once, it can be closed again. And we need to have a secure supply of energy,’” she said. Foreign representatives are asking only two questions: How much oil can Alberta supply, and how quickly can they get it?
Wilson believes the pipeline proposals have changed investor thinking. “The announcement now of the Southern Pipeline Route makes a huge difference to allowing real conversations in the background,” he said. For years, pipeline discussions were dominated by regulatory uncertainty; now governments are openly backing construction and creating certainty for investors.
Benefits Beyond Alberta
Smith emphasized that Alberta's resurgence benefits all of Canada. Opening new markets through energy exports will create opportunities for other Canadian products, from agriculture to manufactured goods. “Energy will lead, but so many other commodities and products will follow,” she said. New pipelines mean more trade, more investment, and more tax revenue. New data centres mean more demand for Canadian energy and more opportunities for workers and businesses. Alberta is winning again, and when Alberta wins, so does Canada.
