politics
Ottawa to Start Process Designating Mackenzie Valley Highway as National Interest Project
The federal government plans to announce Wednesday that it will start the process of listing the Mackenzie Valley Highway as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act. The move would make it the first such designation and enable faster environmental reviews and permitting after consultations begin.
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The federal government is expected to announce Wednesday that it will begin designating the Mackenzie Valley Highway as a project of national interest, Cbc reported. The listing would mark the first official use of that status under the Building Canada Act and would allow Ottawa to fast-track environmental reviews and federal permitting for the road. The announcement is scheduled in Yellowknife.
Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson, Nunavut Premier John Main and three federal ministers are set to deliver the news together. A consultation process required before the designation takes effect is also expected to start Wednesday.
Two additional projects are included in the announcement, Cbc reported. They are the Grays Bay Road and Port, referred to the federal Major Projects Office in March, and a deep geological nuclear waste facility in northern Ontario. The Grays Bay project would create an all-season road from the Nunavut border to a deepwater port and airfield at Grays Bay on the Arctic Ocean.
To Inuvik, N.W.T. Sources who spoke to Cbc News on condition of anonymity said the national interest designation remains subject to the upcoming consultations.
