Cold Lake First Nations challenges Pacific Link listing

Cold Lake First Nations has gone to Federal Court to challenge Ottawa's decision to list the Pacific Link oil pipeline as a project of national interest, arguing the federal government designated the project without consulting the Nation.

The Nation filed a notice of application for judicial review Thursday at the Federal Court registry in Edmonton, according to the court's online court file. The application, court file T-4213-26, concerns a decision "made by His Majesty the King in Right of Canada announced on October 1, 2026," the recorded entry said.

The file names three respondents: the federal Crown, the Alberta Crown as represented by the province's energy minister, and Oil Sands Alliance Inc. The registry noted Thursday that the matter was referred to the court's Aboriginal triage process.

The application itself is not available through the court's online access service.

"CLFNS is taking this step to protect its Treaty rights, lands and the Nation's interests for future generations," Cold Lake First Nations said in a news release posted on its website.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Oct. 1 that the pipeline, previously called the West Coast Oil Pipeline, had been listed under Schedule 1 of the Building Canada Act. Listing allows a project to go through a single federal regulatory review. The Major Projects Office, supported by the Canada Energy Regulator, aims to finalize the project's conditions by Sept. 1, 2027.

The federal release said Canada and Alberta will share equal ownership of the line, Indigenous communities will be offered at least 10 per cent ownership, and Ottawa is working with Alberta to advance the Pathways carbon capture and storage project. The release said Canada "remains committed to fulfilling its duty to consult and respecting Aboriginal and treaty rights throughout the project's review process."

Cold Lake First Nations said Canada has repeatedly described Pacific Link and Pathways as "mutually dependent." Pathways would capture carbon dioxide from oilsands facilities and store it underground within the Nation's traditional territory, the release said.

The Nation said it has raised concerns with Ottawa since 2023 "about the potential environmental, geological and safety risks related to the proposed storage hub, as well as the cumulative impacts of oil sands development in its territories." It said it asked repeatedly to be consulted on both projects, but Canada "moved ahead with the national interest designation without meaningful consultation with the Nation."

The Nation said it supports responsible development and that "this legal action does not close the door to working with Canada," adding that "responsibility to take the first step outside the courtroom now rests with Canada."

Premier Danielle Smith called the listing "a significant victory for Alberta's and Canada's energy future" in an Oct. 1 statement. She said the line would move one million barrels of oil a day to the West Coast and that "Indigenous partnership remains central to this project every step of the way."

No hearing date had been set as of Thursday, according to the court file.