Western Transmission Catalysts applauds meaningful investments in interprovincial transmission efforts in the newly tabled budget
CALGARY (November 6, 2026) - Blake Shaffer, Director of the Western Transmission Catalysts (WTC) delivered the following statement in response to the federal government’s 2026 budget.
“It is extremely energizing to see interprovincial transmission featured front and centre in the 2026 Budget. In an increasingly electrified world, having an affordable, reliable, and clean electricity system is a competitive advantage. Transmission is a key part of that, and today’s budget moves the needle on making it happen.
In particular, we applaud the $37 million initiative to support robust cost-benefit analysis of proposed interties in the next year. As outlined in our recently published proposal for A Made-in-Canada Costs-Benefits Framework for Interjurisdictional Electricity Transmission, building grid connections between provinces and territories is critical to growing our economy. However, getting interties built faces a number of challenges including questions around a project’s benefits, who they accrue to, and what that means for allocating costs. A consistent, shared, and transparent cost-benefits framework is key to making progress.
Indigenous leadership is also essential to advancing intertie projects. Budget 2026 acknowledges the importance of major project partnership and ownership in advancing economic reconciliation, and this is particularly essential for interprovincial transmission projects, which will run through the traditional lands and territories of many Nations.
With our partners at Indigenous Power Coalition, WTC is advancing a model of Indigenous ownership that puts Nations first. Rather than reacting to developers, Nations are the proponents. This approach both de-risks development and places decisions in the hands of rights holders, so projects align with their values. We encourage the federal government to support and prioritize Indigenous-led interprovincial transmission projects through its Major Projects Office and other appropriate avenues.
WTC is rolling up our sleeves to support collaboration between the federal government, provincial governments, utilities, regulators, and Indigenous Nations to advance intertie expansion in Western Canada. We look forward to working collectively to build the electricity grid that links Canada together.”
RESOURCES
Report | A Made-in-Canada Cost-Benefits Framework for Interjurisdictional Electricity Transmission
Paper | Western Transmission Catalysts: Moving Interprovincial Transmission from Ambition to Action
CONTACT
Jessie Sitnick, Communications Advisor
(416) 859-8250 | media@westerntransmissioncatalysts.ca
